Ivory Coast have won AFCON twice before 2024 and with a strong start against Guinea-Bissau could the Elephants lift their third trophy this time as tournament hosts? Historically AFCON host nations have struggled to turn home support into trophies and so bucking this trend will clearly be crucial. The tournament, and the investment which has gone into it, mark an important step forward for the Ivory Coast given the countries recent history.
The first decade of the 21st century in Cote d’Ivoire was a turbulent one. Two civil wars ripped through the nation and led to social and economic upheaval. Ivory Coast remains a poor country but one which, since peace, has seen impressive growth averaging 8% per annum. This growth and stability post-war allowed the government to invest almost $1 billion dollars into hosting AFCON. This is a sizeable outlay for the relatively economically weak nation and so the tournaments success has implications reaching far beyond the on-pitch action.
The Elephants have enjoyed recent success in the intercontinental tournament. In 2015 they lifted their second AFCON trophy with a team comprised of Cheick Tiote, Wilfried Bony and the Toure brothers. In terms of stars this current iteration of the Ivory Coast national team is arguably barer yet under Jean-Louis Gasset a tangible team spirit has been forged. A team spirit visible in the celebrations after Seko Fofana scored early on Saturday.
Key Players:
When an English football fan conjures up mental images of the Ivorian national team I think most will instantly settle on Wilfried Zaha. Yet the talismanic winger, known for scoring beautiful goals, has been left out of the squad by Gasset. The forward moved to Galatasaray last summer to play Champions League football and despite playing well for the Turkish giants he failed to be selected for AFCON this January.
Gasset has started Jonathon Bamba in Zaha’s favoured left sided position. The absence is not a matter of injury either, with both Sebastian Haller and Simon Adingra being included whilst both not match ready. Gasset, though guarded, has alluded to leaving Zaha out in order to better foster team spirit in the camp. He stated that ‘I tried to favour sports and group life’ and that it is necessary to make ‘strong choices at times.’
The wisdom of this decision entirely rests upon how Ivory Coast do during the tournament. Go deep into the competition and Gasset’s decision will be praised for its decisiveness but an early exit and one can easily imagine serious questions about excluding the nation’s most creative player.
We must move onto those who are actually going to kick a ball in West Africa this January. Ivory Coast’s strongest area of the pitch, and that which will be crucial to them beating the better teams, is their midfield. The three chosen by Gasset against Guinea-Bissau were Frank Kessie, Ibrahim Sangare and Seko Fofana.
Kessie, formerly of Barcelona and Juventus, is currently plying his trade in Saudi Arabia alongside Fofana. Meanwhile Sangare is currently playing for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. The solidity, strength and industry of this midfield will be crucial to Ivory Coast’s success. Fofana came within a point of winning Ligue 1 last season with Lens and he is an incredibly adept all-round midfielder, the quality of his early goal against Guinea-Bissau coupled with his defensive and passing abilities attesting to this.
The Elephants also have quality in other areas. At the back Evan Ndicka, recent Europa League winner with Frankfurt, is partnered with the young Ousmane Diomande who is currently attracting serious attention from elite European clubs. Further forward Jean-Phillipe Krasso and Jonathan Bamba are leading the line with a level of poise and precision which Ivorians will hope continues into the later stages.
They also can count on a host of Premier League stars, past and present, to bolster their squad. Eric Bailly, Wily Bolly, Serge Aurier and even Nicolas Pepe can all have an impact for the Elephants with years of experience between them. They also have exciting Brighton prospect Adingra to come back into the attacking lineup should he be fit in time.
Competition:
So who are the Ivory Coast’s most likely opponents if they do reach the later rounds? The most obvious threat to their title hopes comes from Morocco. The North African nation broke records to become the first African team to reach a World Cup semi final in Qatar 2022.
Morocco bested all the Iberian Peninsula had to throw at them, beating Spain and then Portugal in knockout rounds to reach the last four. They subsequently succumbed to France but the impressive run has made them bookies favourites for this years AFCON. They are probably the best run football federation in Africa and under Walid Regragui a genuine team spirit has been created.
But the Atlas Lions are not insurmountable. They have suffered a run of disappointing results since Qatar and have only reached an AFCON semi-final once since the 1980s. Furthermore, key players Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal are both enduring below par seasons. If Ivory Coast do meet them later on in the tournament they undoubtedly have a chance. The Ivorians industrial midfield will need to be dominant to stop the wide threat posed by Morocco through Archaf Hakimi and the aforementioned Ziyech and Boufal.
Other threats come in the form of current AFCON holders Senegal. With Sadio Mane back in the squad after missing Qatar 2022 the side have regained their star. Yet there are understandable doubts about the competitiveness of the squad’s core players. With Mane being joined in Saudi Arabia by Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy will Senegal have lost the elite presence which guided them to victory in Cameroon in 2021?
Finally if I had to throw a potential dark horse into the running I would go for Mali. The large nation has never won AFCON and could be said to have a penchant for bottling under pressure. Yet they are also currently producing excellent young talent which, though unproven, may take them into the later stages.
In summing up then, if the Ivory Coast can continue to dominate the midfield and utilise its depth to win close matches they do have a good chance of progressing far into the tournament. Whether they will miss the star qualities of Zaha remains to be seen.