Skip to main content

AFCON 2023: Elephants interim coach passes first test, admits “tougher tests lie ahead”

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson
Unlike the seven other nations ready for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 quarterfinals, hosts Cote D’Ivoire are still celebrating their 5-4 post game penalty home triumph over defending champions Senegal at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro. It’s the first win for the hosts under their interim coach Emerse Fae, a former “Elephants” international following the termination of contracts for his former Boss Jean-Louis André Lucien Gasset and his first assistant coach Ghislain Marie Joseph Printant, due to insufficient results. It was indeed a historic comeback for the host who were earlier shocked by the defending champions in the fourth-minute when their youngster Habib Diallo hastily chested a pass from Sadio Mane, and slotted it home to put his country ahead. The defending champion’s early lead got the Ivoirians energized as they dominated ball possession and new manager Fae’s triple substitution ten minutes on to the end of the match paid off in the 86th when Franck Kessie equalized from the penalty spot after Nicolas Pepe was fouled in the Senegalese danger area. Kessie’s goal proved to be a major boost for the hosts who will go on to force the defending champions to enter into the post game lottery where they eventually eliminated Senegal 5-4 to advance to the quarterfinals. To the Ivoirians caretaker coach, Emerse Fae, the victory means a lot. He confessed that he was under pressure, saying there was a lot of pressure before the match. “I couldn't sleep as usual, thinking about all scenarios and on match day, the match was too long for me. If I said there was no pressure, I would be lying," Fae explained. He said the result is a booster in our search for AFCON splendour but that his team needs to keep going. “Although we’ve beaten the defending champions to advance to the quarterfinals stage, we must continue working with the same winning mentality at every match because tougher task lies ahead.” Fae’s next task as interim coach of the Elephants is underway on Saturday, February 3, when his side will face Mali in the quarterfinals in Bouake.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sierra Leone, Two other Nations disqualified from AFCON 2024 U17 Qualifiers

By: Abdulrahman Barrie The U17 football teams from Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau have been disqualified from the 2024 U17 African Cup of Nations competition in Senegal after failing the mandatory MRI test scans. These scans, which determine the age of the players, revealed discrepancies that led to their removal from the tournament. The disqualification follows changes to Article 27.4 of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations regulations, which have tightened the criteria and enforcement of age verification measures. The updated rules stipulate that if a team has more than four players deemed ineligible after the MRI eligibility test, the entire team will be disqualified. The MRI tests, used to enforce age restrictions in youth competitions, are crucial for ensuring fairness. Unfortunately, the teams from these three nations did not meet the age criteria, resulting in their disqualification. This decision has come as a significant disappointment for the young players and their fans, w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Disturbing snail space Civil works in the Makeni Central Lorry park

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - (Jallomy) The Makeni City Council (MCC) ordered commercial vehicles and business entities to leave the park area for the purpose of upgrading the park. Two weeks were given as the duration of the work. Regrettably, a week plus few days have elapsed with no significant work done. Drivers and business people in the park are completely frustrated and their livelihoods threatened.  Few years ago, drivers and traders were asked out of the park for similar reason but after two weeks they were asked to return to the park with no work done. This was disrespectful and insulting.  We urge MCC to double their efforts as the affected persons are running out of patience.
Post a Comment
Read more

CAF Postpones 34th AFCON Edition to 2024

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  During its latest Executive Committee Meeting in the Moroccan city of Rabat, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, the President of the Confederation of African Football-CAF announced the federation’s decision to postpone the 34th TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations to 2024. According to Dr. Patrice Motsepe, CAF has decided to postpone the  TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire “as a direct and sole result of the adverse weather conditions in the country and after also having received further technical opinion from experts on adverse effects of staging the matches in that period.” The tournament was earlier scheduled to be played in Ivory Coast for a month precisely from 23rd June to 23 July 2023, but it will now be played between January and February next year in the same nation(Ivory Coast) with 24 of Africa’s Best Men’s Senior National Teams that will progress from the qualifiers which started last months to compete for the prestigious African Trophy...
Post a Comment
Read more