A united Ivory Coast primed to host the Africa Cup of Nations

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand,” said Nelson Mandela. 

In a country that had been torn apart by devastating civil wars between 2002 and April 2011, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouatarra is hopeful the remnants of discord among his compatriots will be completely buried by a successful hosting of the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.  

“We must show our ability to unite, to make our country shine,” Ouatarra exhorted his compatriots in his New Year’s address. 

Idriss Diallo, president of the Ivory Coast Football Federation, underlined nation-building as one of the key outcomes of hosting Africa’s biggest sporting event, for which the government has invested an eye-popping $1bn.  

“Since 2014 the head of state decided to organise this competition and our country spent a lot of money to organise it. But more than money, we put our heart into the organisation of the tournament,” Diallo said in an interview in Abidjan. 

“Our country has come very far. Ten years ago it was tough here [because of the civil war] but now you see the country is quiet, there is peace and everybody is working hard to improve their lives. 

“Hosting the tournament is very important for nation-building. During the Africa Cup of Nations you will see the passion for the game in this country.”  

Travelling from the commercial hub of Abidjan to the host cities that include the beautiful coastal town of San Pedro and the capital Yamoussoukro, the newly completed roads provide encouraging evidence of improvements in infrastructure as part of the buildup to the biennial tournament. Hotels and medical facilities have been upgraded which will no doubt  be of great benefit to the local population.  

Already there are early signs of a return on investment, with the IMF forecasting that the Ivory Coast economy will grow a healthy 6.6% in 2024, earning it a place among the top 10 best-performing economies in the world.  

“The government has spent more than $1bn on the infrastructure, the roads, the stadiums and training pitches, hospitals. This investment is not only for football but for the entire country. The roads will be used by the people of the country, the hospitals too and the stadiums will be used by sports teams,” Diallo enthused. 

The construction of the new 20,000-seat stadium in San Pedro, named after legendary Ivorian striker Laurent Pokou, means the town’s two top division teams, Sewe Sport and San Pedro FC, will no longer have to undertake the arduous three-hour road journey to Abidjan where they were forced to play their home games due to the absence of an adequate venue in their home town.  

The four top-quality training pitches, with well-equipped change rooms, in the host cities will provide great new facilities for lower division clubs as well as junior teams. 

Diallo, a former vice-president of top Ivorian club Asec Mimosas, is hopeful the modern facilities will accelerate the development of the country’s next generation of talent. “The academies are very important and it is from there you can build good teams. We are trying to improve this across the country because we have lots of players from areas outside Abidjan. It is important to scout players in different parts of the country.” 

He highlighted the emergence of two players, Wilfried Singo and Simon Adingra, who have emerged from remote areas to respectively star with top French side Monaco and the impressive Brighton, who have lit up the Premier League.  

The 23-year-old Singo comes from AS Denguélé, who are based in Odienne, about 700km north of Abidjan. Adingra, the 22-year-old midfielder who has made a big impression in his first season with the Seagulls after moving from Danish side Nordsjaelland, is from Bondouko, more than 400km from Abidjan. 

“We need to go into the country to provide opportunities to those young people to play and develop into top players,” says Diallo. 

While many Ivorians will be hoping their team repeats the success of their predecessors of 1992 and 2015, the locals in Abidjan are not too optimistic about the Elephants’ chances of lifting African football’s most coveted prize for a third time.  

Even Diallo, is careful not to get his hopes too high. “Of course, it will be good for the tournament if our team does well. We will do our best, but we are building a new team — 30% of the team is very young. It will be their first major competition so we will try to do our best to go as far as possible and try to win the trophy.” 

Led by Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller, who made a remarkable return to football last January after winning a six-month battle with testicular cancer, the current Ivorian side is not quite on the same level as the golden generation that included the likes of Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Yaya and Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue, Gervinho and Didier Zakora. Still, that team failed to lift the Nations Cup when their glittering talent suggested they should have done so.  

As for SA, they will be tested by the heat in the northern city of Korhogo where temperatures are normally a few degrees higher than in the other host cities, which can expect the mercury to peak in the early thirties. Korhogo’s proximity to the Malian border means it will be a virtual home venue for the Eagles, whom Hugo Broos’ side face in their opening group game on Tuesday evening.  

The smart money will be on Morocco, who were so impressive in becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup just more than a year ago. If they win, it will be their first title since their only success in 1976.  

With large numbers of fans from the region expected to travel to the Ivory Coast for the tournament, the West African contingent of Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Burkina Faso will fancy their chances while North Africa’s Algeria and Egypt, desperate to add to their record seven titles, should also be in the mix.