After the first opening match of the AFCON 2023 between Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau, the white wizard, Claude Le Roy, well-known in Africa and the football world, did not hide his disappointment regarding the Ivorian audience.
The 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations indeed kicked off this Saturday. Highly anticipated, the competition, rich in color and emotion, delivered a first exciting confrontation. In the opening match of the AFCON 2023 between Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau in Group A, the host country secured the essentials by winning with a score of 2 goals to 0. In a half-empty Ebimpé Stadium (about 35 thousand spectators out of the 60 thousand seats), Seko Fofana and Yayia Fofana gave their all for a beautiful spectacle that, however, did not meet expectations according to Claude Le Roy.
Claude Le Roy’s blunt words about the supporters
Indeed, for the former coach of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon (1985-1988 and 1998), Senegal (1988-1992), or more recently the Sparrowhawks of Togo (2016-2021), the celebration was spoiled by Ivorian supporters. According to Claude Le Roy, who spoke at the end of the opening match, there were no supporters at Ebimpé Stadium this Saturday.
“I think the players did the job. My big surprise is that the audience behaved much more like spectators than supporters. If they want the Elephants to go all the way, they will really have to ignite the matches much more, and the team needs to feel the support. Today, it seems that it’s the players who ignited the audience, which should be the other way around. The public is so important in this kind of competition,” bluntly stated Claude Le Roy, who knows more than anyone the necessary ingredients to clinch the AFCON, being a former winner (1988).
Frank Kessié’s appeal
In any case, it is an important reminder for the Ivorians who await their team to win this AFCON 2023. Before the match, Frank Kessié had indeed issued a strong appeal to the supporters to play the role of the twelfth man properly. “We have the same objective, to raise the country’s flag very high. To Ivorian supporters, we are in the same logic, we must be united for the flag, they must be the twelfth man, they must come out in numbers to support us,” said the Al Ahli player to Koaci.com.
Against a team like Guinea-Bissau, the atmosphere was not really there, which did not bother Jean-Louis Gasset’s men too much. Let’s hope that the next match against Nigeria is truly marked by the awakening of the supporters who play a major role in this beautiful competition, as pointed out by Claude Le Roy.
Fofana’s promise to keep the flame alive
On the players’ side, who ensured the spectacle with great determination, the errors that almost cost dearly will be corrected, as highlighted by Seko Fofana, the man of the opening match of this AFCON 2024. “The day has not been easy, with a lot of adrenaline, not much rest. Winning is something very important for us. Everything was not perfect. It’s even better, I want to say, it will allow us to stay humble and correct the mistakes we may have made and to have a very good match against Nigeria,” said the first scorer of this 34th edition of the AFCON with a surgical strike.
The competition continues this Sunday with some very exciting matches. It is once again necessary for the enthusiasm of the Ivorians observed in the streets to be felt in the stadiums and not just on match days for the Elephants. Ivory Coast aims to organize the most beautiful AFCON ever held on the African continent. And if everything seems to be going well at the moment, as noted by Samuel Eto’o, it will be necessary to succeed in the bet of creating a vibrant atmosphere in the stadiums by making the maximum effort to attend.
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