After the coach was fired in the middle of the tournament: Ivory Coast suddenly dreams of the African coup again

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“L’amour du maillot, on a ça” (in German: “We have the love for the jersey”) is one of the many advertising messages that will grace the streets of Abidjan during the Africa Cup of Nations. And it fits like no other. The emerging economic metropolis of Ivory Coast is showing its best side these days, shining in orange and green. There’s a flag on almost every corner and it feels like every second person on the street is wearing a national team jersey. The love for the jersey is undeniable, as is the hope of winning the third African Cup of Nations title.

This hope was essentially extinguished after only three group matches for the “Elephants”. The face of Ivorian striker legend Didier Drogba (45) spoke volumes when it flashed across the TV screens shortly after the 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea. It represented the disappointment of an entire nation. The Ivorian Football Association reacted to the defeat and quickly fired coach Jean-Louis Gasset (70) – before it finally became clear that they had to say goodbye to their title dream.

They wanted to borrow the French coach

Because Ghana and Zambia ultimately performed even worse, Ivory Coast slipped through to third in the group and suddenly had to look for a new coach. As a result, they begged the French Football Association to allow them to loan women’s coach and former coach Hervé Renard (55, twice the Africa Cup of Nations) for three weeks.

The French refused. For the difficult match against defending champion Senegal, they had to work with assistant coach Emerse Faé (40), who has now been promoted. Against the odds, the Ivorians sensationally won on penalties – bringing back their title hopes. The quarter-finals against Mali are the first on the program on Saturday.

“C’est l’amour, huh”

«Before the match against Senegal I didn’t really have confidence. But now I really believe we can keep the trophy here,” reveals Debora, who runs a small kiosk in the Abidjan National Park – and, of course, wears the jersey. Two who have consciously chosen not to wear the sweater are the two market vendors Ousmane and Sari. They are originally from Senegal, but are now rooting for Ivory Coast. “We should have actually gotten another penalty, that’s the only way they qualified. But I live here and love the people and the team, that’s why I’m a fan of them now.”

Sari is not bothered by the (unjustified) referee criticism from his stand neighbor – also because he benefits financially from Ivory Coast’s progress. He sells so-called ‘original’ football shirts at the Grand Marché de Treichville for – depending on his negotiating skills – 10 to 14 francs and is now happy with the extra income that comes with the euphoria.

Street vendor Youssouf, who sells car accessories in Abidjan’s financial district, also believes in the title again – also because of promoted assistant coach Faé, who played 42 international matches for Ivory Coast but had only moderate success as a defender. coach in the fifth highest French league. “I think this man will be our good luck charm. If we show as much courage as we did against Senegal, we will go far.” When asked about his jersey, he simply said, “C’est l’amour, eh.”

Source : Blick