Ivory Coast won the African Cup of Nations on Sunday, for the third time in its history. It’s a coronation for the players. It also marks a positive point for Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, whose government was under pressure to have all facilities ready on time. The president will receive the victorious players this Tuesday.
3 mins
With our correspondent in Abidjan, Bineta Diagne
The celebration continues in Ivory Coast after the Elephants’ 2-1 victory against Nigeria on Sunday evening in the final of the 34th African Cup of Nations. A festive day, which ended with a concert at the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny stadium, where many Ivorians came to express their joy at being African champions. Earlier, yesterday afternoon, the players toured Abidjan, in a caravan, to present the trophy.
It’s 3 p.m. sharp, and the players appear in front of an excited audience. There are families there, simply curious people, and football fans, who have come to get a closer look at their star. Like Daouda, who immortalizes the scene on her phone: “ My favorite player is Adingra because he really wore his jersey, he gave himself for his first participation in the CAN. It was really great, he exploded everything, we are really happy with him. »
Players stand on the back of a platform bus. Their vehicle moves slowly into the heart of the town of Cocody, then goes around the south of the city. Wearing orange caps and jerseys, many Ivorians walk alongside the procession. Like Karène, ready to brave the heatwave: “ We organized the most beautiful CAN and we are proud of them. We come to pay tribute to them, support them and accompany them to the Houphouët-Boigny stadium. We’re going to walk a lot, it’s a source of immense pride for us. »
The public wants to salute the prowess of the Elephants, who have difficult to start this competition. “ Winning the CAN at home had not happened for eighteen years, in 2006 in Egypt, reminds Cedric. This is a real achievement considering how the competition started. They showed tremendous self-sacrifice. »
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A country in communion, political class included
After the popular festival last night, the Elephants will be received this Tuesday by the President, Alassane Ouattara, for a more solemn tribute.
The Ivorian president had promised to organize “ the most beautiful CAN in history “. The challenge appears to have been met: no major incidents have been reported. The Ivorians experience moments of communion around the third star now attached to the national team jersey.
And unanimously, the political class is delighted with this victory. In a press release, Laurent Gbagbo’s PPA-CI welcomes “ a collective effort and a vibrant spirit of patriotism “. For his part, Tidjane Thiam, the leader of the PDCI, notes that this victory is a “ lesson in resilience and determination “. On this momentum, the president of this opposition party congratulates the authorities and in particular President Alassane Ouattara for the organization of this CAN.
The authorities have therefore managed to create unity around a common cause, football, at the same time eclipsing the debates raised at the beginning of January, following a report from the Court of Auditors, which points to problems in recipes related to the issuance of identity documents.
This is another achievement in the results that the presidential camp will display next year, during the electoral deadlines, since this CAN has made it possible to highlight the advanced state of infrastructure in the country.
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