World can wait – it's Europe first

The Swede, newly installed as manager of the Ivory Coast, will journey to Tayside to cast an eye over the big defender just days before naming his provisional squad for the World Cup.

Eriksson had planned to be at Fir Park on Wednesday night to see Bamba in action but was told not to bother by the former Dunfermline star as he served the final game in a three-match ban.

However, that suspension is now over, presenting Bamba with an opportunity to impress the one-time England boss when he faces Dundee United as John Hughes' side aim to reclaim fourth place in the SPL table and with it a guaranteed place in Europe.

But, while admitting his excitement at the prospect of playing in South Africa this summer – his nation face Brazil, Portugal and North Korea in arguably the toughest qualifying group – is rising by the day, the 25-year-old insisted his over- riding concern, at least for the moment, is Hibs.

And, he declared, if he and his team-mates can leapfrog Motherwell then it will, despite the disappointments of recent weeks, have proved to be a successful season for the Easter Road outfit.

He said: "I think because we had such a good start to the season everyone expected us to do better than we have.

"But I also believe that if you'd told people at the beginning of the season we'd be going into the final day still in with a very good chance of a place in Europe then they'd have been happy.

"We've had a bad couple of months but that happens in football. Now the main thing is to get ourselves into Europe and it doesn't matter how we do it."

Bamba watched the drama of Fir Park unfold on television and admitted he could hardly believe his eyes as he watched Hibs surrender a four-goal lead, finally being forced to settle for a 6-6 which means the Edinburgh club need a favour from Rangers as they face Motherwell at Ibrox tomorrow.

He said: "It's difficult to talk about that game because I wasn't playing in it. But it was difficult to take, it was the craziest game I have ever seen. I've never seen twelve goals in a game before. People would have enjoyed watching it but, when you play in a game like that, or are the manager, you don't enjoy it too much.

"Before the game, a draw would have been okay but, when you are 6-2 up, you expect to win so only drawing actually feels like a defeat."

Bamba admitted being hit with a three-match ban – which also saw him sit out the visits of Rangers and Hearts – had been frustrating but admitted he only had himself to blame for the yellow card which took him over the disciplinary points limit, a petulant reaction to being penalised for a challenge.

He said: "I didn't realise I was on a ban but I did a crazy thing which I shouldn't have done. It's never easy to watch your team-mates playing and I wasn't happy but it's good to be back and able to play in such an important game."

Bamba's mood was also lifted when he received a phone call from Eriksson, who has agreed a 2-million deal to manage the Ivory Coast through the World Cup, revealing he planned to travel north to watch him in action as he puts the final touches to his squad.

Paris-born Bamba said: "I spoke to the manager last week and he told me he was going to Fir Park on Wednesday but I had to tell him I was suspended. But he's now told me he's going to be at Tannadice tomorrow.

"This is the last game in which he can watch me and I feel I have a good chance of being in his squad. He will name 30 players and then on 1 June it will be cut to 23 and I hope I'll be in that final group. Earlier in the season, I wasn't thinking about the World Cup, people were telling me it would be great to play in but now it has come around really quickly and I am obviously looking forward to it."

Bamba believes Eriksson's experience will be invaluable to his national side which contains players such as Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, the Toure brothers Yaya and Kolo, Didier Zakora and Emmanuel Eboue, the Swede taking England to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 2002 and 2006 while he can also boast of coaching the likes of Benfica, Roma, Fiorentina, Lazio and Manchester City. Bamba said: "The country wanted a big name and hopefully he can bring out in the best in us. We are in a tough group, there's no doubt about that, but I fancy us to go through the group stages.

"If we can do that then anything can happen, you win the next one and move on again.

"It's an exciting prospect, to be playing the likes of Brazil and Portugal, an African nation playing in the first World Cup to be staged on our continent.

"But, for the time being, all my focus has to be on the 90 minutes tomorrow, hopefully helping Hibs to a win and into Europe."