The AFCON 2023 carries a particular weight for Ivory Coast. As the host country, it is obligated to answer the call. In this regard, the Ivorian head of state has dispatched a delegation to approach the players.
Prior to the match between Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea, the Elephants received a visit from envoys of President Alassane Ouattara. The Prime Minister and the Vice-President personally went to express the government’s full support directly to the national football team. This adds an additional layer of pressure, although these authorities have good intentions.
Ivory Coast authorities aim for victory
Indeed, the Ivory Coast national football team is gearing up for a decisive match on Monday, January 22, 2024. It is their last match in the group stage of AFCON 2023. Facing difficulties, the Elephants are compelled to win to hope for qualification to the knockout stage.
In order to boost the team’s morale and make them understand the national importance of this match (which will exert even more pressure on the group), high-level authorities engaged with the Elephants. The Prime Minister, Robert Beugré Mambé; the President of the National Assembly, Adama Bictogo, and the Vice-President of the Republic, Tiémoko Meyliet Koné, were present.
They reiterated President Alassane Ouattara’s message of support to the players and the entire staff. “I have watched all your matches. You are strong! Free your minds. Put in all the energy it takes to win. Believe in yourselves! You have our full confidence because we are convinced that you will succeed,” declared Tiémoko Meyliet Koné. In the presence of the authorities, the team’s technical staff reassured about the players’ well-being, emphasizing that they are ready to take on the challenge to make Ivorians proud.
Reassuring words from the Ivory Coast coach
It will be a decisive match for the host country that cannot afford mistakes. During the pre-match press conference on Sunday, Jean Louis Gasset, the coach of the Elephants, expressed confidence: “We must have faith, we play in front of our audience, we must believe. We trust in the group, and slowly we are getting back key players like Haller and Adingra.”
Against a “cunning” Guinea Bissau team, Gasset will opt for an offensive approach: “We will attack to win,” he declared. “We are currently in 3rd place, our destiny is in our hands. We know that if we win, we will qualify.”
The French coach also reflected on the team’s (0-1) loss to Nigeria. “We took a day to digest the previous match,” he indicated. “We explained to the players that in an important match, opening the scoring is crucial. Once Nigeria scored with their only shot on target, we had to find a way to equalize. We have digested that defeat. All teams are with their backs against the wall.”
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