As the remains of Ivorian footballer, Cheick Tiote arrives Port Bouet Airport in Abidjan, the capital of his native Ivory Coast, Wilfried Bony was among the pallbearers on Thursday afternoon.
The Manchester City forward and other former teammates of Tiote’s with the Ivory Coast national team carried the casket on their shoulders after being flown from Beijing where he tragically passed away.
Cheick Tiote’s coffin is carried by his former Ivory Coast team-mates at Port Bouet Airport
Bony
Bony on a T-Shirt which read ‘an elephant never dies’ in paying tribute to the late midfielder as he attended the sombre occasion.
Former Ivory Coast national team coach Herve Renard was also in attendance along with the president of the Ivorian Football Federation, Augustin Sidy Diallo.
Family members displayed their grief as Tiote’s coffin was carried through the airport, where fans also came to pay their respects.
Tiote’s casket is carried through arrivals at the Port Bouet airport, the largest in the Ivory Coast
Former Ivory Coast national team manager Herve Renard was also in attendance on Thursday
Tiote suffered a suspected heart attack on June 5 during a training session with his club Beijing Enterprises and later passed away.
There was a memorial service for him held in Beijing on Tuesday which was attended by his ex-Newcastle team-mate Papiss Cisse, who plays in China with Shandong Luneng.
‘I lived some extraordinary moments with this man and today he’s gone,’ said Cisse at the service as he fought back tears.
A family member shows their grief at the service as mourners turned up to pay their respects
One fan painted himself in black and white and wore a hat with the message ‘farewell’
A mural featuring images of Tiote playing for the Ivory Coast was displayed at the airport
Beijing Enterprises players were also present at that service as they paid their respects to Tiote, who joined them from Newcastle in February.
Sportsmail revealed earlier this week that Beijing Enterprises had no emergency cardiac equipment at their training base which which to treat him.
And Manchester United legend Andy Cole questioned whether more can be done to protect players who suffer from heart problems.
Tiote during a training session with Chinese second division side Beijing Enterprises
Papiss Cisse sheds a tear while attending Tiote’s memorial service in Beijing on Tuesday
‘If someone is only 30 and they pass away, the question that is naturally going to be asked is ‘Why? What’s gone on there? Why has he passed away so early?’, Cole said to BBC Radio Five Live.
‘It’s a strange one. Cheick Tiote hadn’t been in China that long – a few months – so he must have had a medical to complete the transfer. Was nothing picked up in that medical?
‘Is anything actually being done? Is it being looked into? We need to nail it down and get to the bottom of why and what it is.
Bony and Tiote celebrate after winning the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast
Bony and Tiote compete while playing for former clubs Swansea and Newcastle respectively
‘Because it seems to be happening to more and more professional footballers – fit, strong men.’
Tiote spent seven years at Newcastle and is best remembered for scoring a stunning equaliser in the 4-4 draw against Arsenal in February 2011.
He also featured for Anderlecht, Twente and made 55 appearances for the Ivory Coast senior side, winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure will prefer to play without a referee in Thursday’s derby with Manchester United in the English Premier League.
The Ivorian said this on Monday while criticising the standard of officiating in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Arsenal.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that referee Craig Pawson had ruled out Sergio Aguero’s first-half strike at Wembley.
Replays suggested the goal should have stood and Manchester City went on to lose the game 1-2 after extra time.
“I think the referees have to stop this,” said Toure.
“I am very disappointed. It is not the first time, there have been a couple of times.
“Maybe on Thursday we are going to have a better referee or maybe play without a referee, I would prefer that.”
Officials ruled that Leroy Sane’s cross had gone out of play before reaching Aguero.
The Argentina striker later did score to put Manchester City ahead but goals from Nacho Monreal and Alexis Sanchez sent Arsenal into May’s FA Cup final, where they will meet Chelsea.
Defeat means Manchester City’s focus switches to the Premier League, where they are currently fourth.
But Manchester United will leapfrog them if they win on Thursday.
“It is a very big game, an important game,” added Toure.
“We have to do that job and we will see what can happen. We hope to have a good referee.”
Aurelie Eliam is an Ivorian actress, model and TV host. She is a member of the cast of Kunle Afolayan’s latest movie, The CEO,In this interview with DUPE AYINLA-OLASUNKANMI, she talks about her inability to speak English and her love for the Nigerian movie industry, among other issues.
WHAT does it feel like to be in Nigeria?
Like I said earlier to one of my colleagues, I feel really blessed. It wasn’t supposed to happen because the first time I learnt about this project was on Facebook. I am not used to reading all the messages on my page, but someone sent me a message, a colleague in Jacob’s Cross. He told me that a friend was looking for an Ivorian actress to play a role in Nigeria. When I got the message, it wasn’t as if I was excited, because such messages come up, but most of them are fake. So I read the message and sent in my email for me to get the full details. Then someone sent me a mail giving details that the director is Kunle Afolayan, he is from Nigeria and is casting for roles in his new movie.
What was your reaction when you got the message?
I googled the name Kunle Afolayan, and read about it and then decided that it was real. So a few days later, I had a Skype audition and waited for the feedback. A week later, I was told I had been given the role. Now I am here and will try to do my best for everyone to be happy.
Is this your first time in Nigeria?
This is my first time in Nigeria. But I have always wanted to be part of Nollywood, because it is pretty much known in Ivory Coast. We also have a TV station with the name Nollywood TV. People are really interested in watching these movies, more than our own TV stations.
With your Ivorian background, how do you intend to fit in?
It is more like a challenge for me because this production is more or less my first English movie. Most of the films I have done are mainly in our native language. Although I have done a short film before in English in Los Angeles, I find this one more challenging because it is a real movie and I don’t want to disappoint people. It is challenging for me because I have to speak English and play in a Nollywood movie.
Eliam
Have you been able to pick some of our local dialect?
(Laughs) Yes; words like kia kia, that is make it snappy. I hear that a lot on set. You know people are speaking a lot of French and English so when they want you to do something or bring something fast. Also pele and wa. It is pretty interesting.
For how long have you been acting?
I started out in 2007 with a TV series which was shown in all the French countries and some French TVs across the globe. The TV series made me better known because I used to act more in our local TV series. But this year, for the first time since I took up a career as an actress, I acted in two movies. But before that time, I was into modeling. I am still into modeling.
Between acting and modeling, which came first?
I began my career as a model for advertising campaigns in my country and across Africa. But I became known with the title role in the series, Dr. Boris, which I would say, officially kicked off my acting career. The series is a success in Africa and Europe. It opened a lot of the doors for me. I also connected then with other roles in The Residence of Happiness as well as in Estelle Dance with the Dreamer. I was also featured in a lot of other advertising campaigns.
But how do you balance your career with your responsibilities at home?
It is so hard for me, but it is also about planning too. My kids are very young. The first one is over two years old while the second is just 13 months old. So it was when I packed my luggage and wanted to leave that I felt the impact of what I was about doing; leaving my kids faraway. I couldn’t bear it, I started crying.
Who did you leave them with?
As I am here, they are in the care of my family. But once I get back home everything will be okay. I can’t wait to get back to them. I won’t be going back till December. But it is also a question of choice.
After this production, do you plan to return to Nigeria?
Oh yes, I would really love to come back. As I said earlier, it is really a huge challenge for me, because people have to understand that I want to be in the Nollywood movie. It is my hope that The CEO movie will help me to get more calls to be back here and to be feature in other movies in Nollywood.
Were you scared of coming when you got the contract?
Yes, I was a little bit afraid and worried because it was my first time and I really don’t know anybody here. So it was pretty hard for me, but I am someone who sees an opportunity and do not let it go.
Were your fears met?
I am not in any way disappointed because I met some amazing people here on set. One of them is Angelique Kidjo. She is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. We are all in good spirit and we focus on what we are here to do.
The new proprietor of Gabros Int’l of Nnewi, Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah has given the management of the Anaedo Boys a fat sack of money to rebuild a winning club that’s expected to rank amongst the top three on the log.
And to take the first step, the club has cast its fishing net very wide and caught some quality players from Africa and across the Atlantic ocean with the signing of players from Ivory Coast and Mali as well as a player from Brazil.
Club Coordinator and veteran football personality Soccer Ambassador, Friday Nwankwo-Kuja disclosed this yesterday in Lagos and gave the names of the first foreign arrivals as Boueti Michel Emmanuel and Koko Armando Christy. They will join the squad before the next league match at the weekend.
He also revealed that the Malian top player will arrive in Nigeria tomorrow while the third, a Brazilian is expected to touch down at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos before the close of work on Friday.
Nwankwo-Kuja hinted that several top players from other NPFL teams have dumped their former clubs for Gabros Int’l which is expected to be formally known as Ifeanyi Ubah FC, even for a pay cut, adding that the reason is the new structure of the club emphasizes players welfare.
Meanwhile, Ubah has acquired four brand new Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for the coaching crew and management staff while another two luxury buses have also been bought for the smooth ride of the players to match venues.
He said the gesture is in appreciation of the victory of the club at the Nigeria National League (NNL) Super Four Cup won by the club in Ilorin, Kwara State barely one week after it was bought over from Gabros International. The team also walloped Warri Wolves FC 2-0 last weekend in the first match of the season in Nnewi.
JUMIA Ivory Coast is raising the stake for ivorian businesses as the online market place is offering brands, distributors and craftsmen the necessary means to develop and extend their selling network.
JUMIA will now allow all distributors, from international brands to SMEs, operating in the country to benefit from a number of advantages when they open an online shop on JUMIA ‘shop-in-shop”.
In a statement released by the online marketplace, subscribers to the JUMIA shop-in-shop platform can take advantage of JUMIA’s professional client-oriented approach, with agents who are trained to know the entire product range and answer all customer questions. “JUMIA has also developed the Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is a tool allowing the weekly measuring of customer satisfaction in order to continually improve service. On average, all customers purchasing products on JUMIA are contacted 15 minutes after their order.
Moreover, the sellers do not encounter any logistics problems: JUMIA takes care of everything! From the order to shipping to customer aftercare, JUMIA brings Ivorian entrepreneurs the marketing and logistics expertise they need to conquer new markets.,” it said.
The marketplace also allows sellers to benefit from exposure to hundreds of thousands of unique visitors every month, as well as a multichannel online and offline presence, in order to increase brand awareness and boost their sales.
Speaking further, Fatoumata Ba, General Director of JUMIA Ivory Coast, said, “JUMIA’s marketplace represents a unique opportunity and an extraordinary business accelerator, making your offer available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in Ivory Coast. In addition to our marketing and logistics expertise, our partners benefit from exposure to almost 300,000 unique visitors every month and the guarantee of an unequalled, international-standard quality of service.”
Mr Youssouf Bakayoko, the Chairman of the Ivorian Independent Electoral Commission, has called on heads of regional electoral departments to be honest in the conduct of the April local council polls.
A statement in Abidjan said Bakayoko made the call at a seminar for chairmen of regional electoral departments in Yamoussoukro on Friday.
NAN reports that the Ivorian local council election was to hold on Feb. 24 but was shifted to April 21 to allow room for political dialogue with the opposition.
He said that the success and acceptability of the local council polls depended greatly on their ability to discharge their duties with honesty and neutrality.
“It is your obligation to do what is right; this is the path you must follow as officers of the commission so that the polls will be credible.
“Let it be made clear that any of you that fails to listen to this call for honesty and neutrality will face the law,’’ he said.
After the presidential and legislative elections, Côte d’Ivoire is entering the final stage of the electoral cycle with the local council elections.
Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), party of former President Laurent Gbagbo, has severally announced its decision not to participate in the elections.
The FPI had given conditions for it to participate in future elections in the country to include the adoption of an amnesty law for pro-Gbagbo politicians in prison.
Others are the reconstitution of the electoral commission and the guarantee of security and transparency at the polls.
