Demba Ba will be in Africa won't he?
Is Ba at the African Nations then?Going to go for 3. Lose 3, win 1.
Newcastle manager Pardew in a fight to keep Tiote and BaBy Colin YoungLast updated at 10:30 PM on 3rd January 2012Newcastle have asked the FA for help in delaying the departures of Cheik Tiote and Demba Ba to the Africa Cup of Nations this weekend.Ivory Coast midfielder Tiote and Newcastle top scorer and Senegal striker Ba are due to play their last Barclays Premier League game against Manchester United on Wednesday night before joining their international team-mates in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.But Newcastle boss Alan Pardew wants the pair, who could be away for a month, to be available for Saturday's home FA Cup tie against Blackburn and has asked the FA to clarify when Tiote and Ba must be released according to FIFA rules.So far, direct contact with the Ivory Coast and Senegal FAs has proved fruitless.Pardew said: 'We're in contact with the FA to see what's been decided with every other club, because it has to be fair. There's an impact on us, losing those two players, and we're trying to make sure they play against Blackburn.'We want to know when all the African players are going - on Saturday morning, or Friday, or after the game on Sunday. When is it they have to report officially?'