MARSEILLE, France (AP) -- Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda has pulled out of the France squad for the World Cup in Brazil because of a neck injury.
"It's with sadness that I announce that unfortunately I will not be able to hold my spot in the World Cup squad," Mandanda said on his Twitter account.
Mandanda lost consciousness in Saturday's 1-0 win over Guingamp after his head collided with the knee of striker Mustapha Yatabare in the 19th minute. He was carried off the pitch on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.
French club Marseille said Mandanda suffered a neck sprain and a crack in the first cervical vertebra, adding that he would need to carry a neck brace for three weeks and undergo rehabilitation for a similar period of time.
Bastia's Mickael Landreau and Tottenham's Hugo Lloris are the other goalkeepers included in France's preliminary 30-man World Cup squad.
