A new season of sports
Côte d'Ivoire has regained its vitality by hosting the Africa Cup of Nations
On a major highway in the bustling Teresville district of Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire, people weave through the traffic trying to sell you everything you can imagine.
Hawkers bypassed car hoods and nimbly avoided motorcycles, pulling out sunglasses, pillows, toothpicks, perfumes, footballs, socks, carpets and cameras from small gaps in windows. Women dressed in traditional costumes walk across the asphalt road in sandals for peanuts, fruits, and local delicacies, while a man pushes a huge wooden cart and wanders through the traffic jam.
A man's face looks down on all the madness. The face of Sebastien Alai, the symbol of Côte d'Ivoire, appeared on billboards advertising various products. The striker, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, can be seen everywhere in the city – except where he is needed most: the pitch.
Alli is currently out of action due to an ankle injury, but the hosts still have Nottingham Forest's Sangare, former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe and Bayer Leverkusen defender Xsono.
After a strong start to the 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire was in crisis. They lost 1-0 to Nigeria and 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea, as a result of which manager Gassett was sacked. Despite this, the hosts will enter the knockout stage as the third best group and will face defending champions Senegal.
Ivory Coast had tried to replace Gasset with Hervé Renard, who won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, but that attempt failed on Thursday. Renard is now the coach of the French women's football team and needs permission from the French Football Federation to leave the company, but it has not been approved. In an interview with The Athletic, the Football Federation of Côte d'Ivoire denied any contact with Renard.
This means that before the most important game in decades, Ivory Coast is without a manager and star players.
The Athletic arrived at Boigny International Airport on Tuesday morning, hours after being humiliated by Equatorial Guinea in Côte d'Ivoire. It was the biggest defeat Ivory Coast have ever suffered at home and the first time they have lost two of their AFCOPA group games since 1984.
The fans were dressed in bright orange shirts and paced around listlessly with frustration on their faces. They still have a good chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds, but the atmosphere is very dull. "The Elephant of Africa is over! Alex, a local taxi driver, said, and quickly changed the subject.
That night, when The Gambia led Cameroon 2-1, patrons at a local bar began to run through the streets and celebrate, as it meant that Côte d'Ivoire would advance to the knockout rounds. A few minutes later, Cameroon completed a stunning comeback with a 3-2 victory. As the drinks were thrown away, people rushed home, and the scene fell silent.
Morocco's 1-0 win over Zambia on Wednesday ensured Ivory Coast's entry into the round of 16. The shouts of "Thank you, Morocco" filled the air, and people danced and congratulated each other.
For the first time in 40 years, the Africa Cup of Nations was held to showcase the country. They spent more than $1 billion on this (7.).£8.7 billion), including the construction of four new stadiums and the refurbishment of two. Money was also spent on building roads and upgrading hotels, hospitals and airports.
In April 2023, Côte d'Ivoire** received a loan worth US$3.5 billion from the International Monetary Organization, part of which was used to host the Africa Cup of Nations. They put in so much that it would be a disaster to be eliminated in the group stage.
I don't know how Equatorial Guinea can beat us 4-0-—— it's unbelievable. Local broadcast journalist Yakubu Traoré told The Athletic. "It was a sad day, a shame on our history. ”
But Morocco is our friend. This qualification comes from God, and now everything is possible. Senegal are the best team in this World Cup, but the group stage is not the same as the knockout stage. It's a game we have to win and it's not easy, but we can improve and beat them. ”
Traore is a journalist for Ivory Coast's top team, the ASEC Mimosa. The team's training ground is based in Mputo, near the expansive Ebrey Lagoon.
The mimosas share a venue with a hotel, and after walking through the heavily guarded gates, you'll be greeted by a waiter wearing a polo shirt with the team's crest. The reception of the hotel and the offices of the club, separated by a path and a slender strip of red and white tape. There is a grass pitch and an artificial turf field fenced with iron nets, and the black paint on the locker rooms has faded from the scorching sun.
The facilities may seem rudimentary, but the club has produced some of the best players in Ivory Coast's history: the likes of Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou, Ebouee and Gervinho all started their careers at Mimosas before making their mark in Europe.
That generation, along with former Chelsea and Marseille striker Didier Drogba, helped Ivory Coast qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in 2006 and play in the next two World Cups. They have reached at least the semi-finals of five consecutive Africa Cup of Nations, including the title in 2015.
In addition to their achievements with the national team, these men are also global superstars. Didier Drogba won the Champions League with Chelsea, Chloe Toure is part of Arsenal's unbeaten Premier League squad, and Yaya Toure has won multiple titles with Barcelona and Manchester City.
"This generation is not bad, we still have good players. We have Brighton's Simon Adingra, Kessie, who played for Barcelona and AC Milan. It's not a question of tactics, it's a question of the mentality of the players. ”
When Equatorial Guinea scored, Gassett (with his hands behind his head) and it was bad. He didn't motivate the players with the right language. We need to play like a wolfdog and have courage. ”
If you say Gasset's name to the fans, the reaction may be different, but the feeling is the same. Richard, who sells SIM cards for mobile phones under an orange parasol on a street corner opposite the Palais des Cultures in Abidjan, taps his teeth with his tongue in disrespect, Dombia, the taxi driver, waves his disdain, and the bartender gives a thumbs down.
Gasset's assistant Emerse Fae will lead the team for the remainder of the tournament with the help of Guy Demer and Saul Bamba. During his career, Fee played for the French youth team before moving to Ivory Coast. In May 2022, he became the head coach of the Ivory Coast Under-23 national team and is now entrusted with the responsibility of the senior national team.
Michael Duberry, who played with Faye in Reading in 2007/08, told The Athletic: "He [Faye] is relatively quiet and doesn't like to talk on or off the pitch. He joined us from Nantes, where he stayed for a long time.
He had a good relationship with Califa Cisse, who was also on the team at the time, but Cisse was more outgoing of the two of them. He also has a good relationship with Jimmy Bryant. He seems to be reserved. At that time, if you asked me, 'Do you think he will coach in the future?' I would say, 'No, not at all.' 'He is a very quiet person. ”
Faye's task is to galvanize Ivory Coast's victory over Senegal at the Charles Conan-Bani Stadium in Yamoussoukro on Monday night. Senegal are the only team to have a 100% win rate in this tournament and the second most goals scored at the moment (eight). Two years ago at the Africa Cup of Nations, Aliou Cisse's side conceded just two goals in the win over Cameroon. Qatar World Cup, they also reached the round of 16. The chances of Ivory Coast reaching the final on 11 February are slim.
It would be a huge help if Allei were to play, while Brighton's winger, Adingra, who came off the bench against Equatorial Guinea, could recover from a hamstring injury.
Wesley Fofana, Sangare and Kessie are a diligent midfield duo but lack creativity. That means Gasset's decision to keep Zaha at home at a time when the team needed a magic spark looked like a mistake.
Traoré said: "We believe that it is not the best team that wins the Africa Cup of Nations. ”
Ivory Coast have talent, but we need to improve ourselves, so why not win this one? That (if it wins) will be amazing and unbelievable.