The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ivory Coast

  • Ivory Coast claim CHAN 2016 third spot

    Ivory Coast claim CHAN 2016 third spot

    Ivory Coast finished third at the CHAN 2016 after beating Guinea 2-1 in Third-Place clash at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda on Sunday afternoon.

    The Elephants enjoyed more possession in the opening stages of the game, but Guinea threatened first through Sankhon, whose effort went inches wide of the target in the 24th minute.

    Two minutes later, Guinea were awarded a penalty after Samake was brought down inside the Ivory Coast box. But keeper Cisse denied Sankhon from the spot-kick.

    However, the opening goal came in the 32nd minute when Youla’s backpass was missed by Guinea goalkeeper Keita, and it ended up in the back of the net – 1-0 to Ivory Coast.

    Four minutes later, Badie doubled Ivory Coast’s lead with a powerful strike from the edge of the Guinea box which gave Keita no chance in goal. The Elephants were leading 1-0 at half-time.

    Guinea pressed Ivory Coast for the equalising goal in the opening stages of the second-half. They were awarded another penalty in the 64th minute.

    Substitute Haba was brought down inside the box by Comara who was booked. Once again Cisse pulled off a great save to deny Guinea a goal from the spot-kick.

    With four minutes left on the clock, Aboubacar pulled one back for Guinea with a decent low header. But Ivory Coast held onto their slender lead and they won 2-1 on the day.

  • Gervinho in talks over Chinese move

    Gervinho in talks over Chinese move

    Ivory Coast forward Gervinho could be on his way to China, with his club Roma confirming that they are in negotiations with Jiangsu Suning over a transfer for the player.

    According to mtnfootball.com, the Elephants star has scored six goals in Serie A this season, but was left out of Roma’s squad for their match against Juventus this past weekend.

    “I can confirm there are negotiations on-going for Gervinho to China,” said Roma director Mauro Baldissoni.

    “When a player expresses the desire to leave, there’s no point keeping him.”

    An offer of €18m is believed to have been made, although it is unclear whether that has been accepted.

    If he does leave, Gervinho would become the latest high-profile player to move to the Chinese Super League.

  • Ivory Coast job Keshi submits CV

    Ivory Coast job Keshi submits CV

    •Trapattoni, 58 others apply too

    In a bold move, the Ivorian Football Federation has published the names of every man that has declared interest to replace Herve Renard as the coach of the Elephants, including Stephen Keshi, who is still employed by Nigeria having signed a new deal in April.

    The Ivorian Federation (FIF) disclosed last Friday that 60 coaches are in the run to succeed Afcon-winning coach.

    The coaching position of the Ivorian national team has been left vacant after the French man quit to return to club football with French Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille in May.

    The FIF, after closing doors to applications last Monday, has released the complete list of 60 applicants with Yelato Silué the only local coach to have submitted his CV. Silué has been coaching club side Sony Ela Nguema in Equatorial Guinea.

    A quite surprising name to have popped up in the list as having declared interest in the job is Keshi, who had only got reemployed as coach of the Super Eagles team two months ago.

    The FIF has submitted the list of candidate to a Benjamin Djedje-led commission to prune down to a suitable list of five coaches, from which three final candidates will be presented to the Federation’s Executive Committee for final selection.

    The Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) intends to announce Herve Renard at the beginning of July.

     

    Complete list of applicants for Ivory Coast job

    Victor Manuel Trinidad Salvado (Portugal), Didier Six (France), Hubert Velud (France), Yelato Silue (Côte D’ivoire), Laurent Fournier (France), Bozidar Bandovic (Greece), Christophe Gardie (France), Roussey Laurent (France), Paulo Duarte (Portugal), Jose Manuel De Jesus (Portugal), Allen Bula (Gibraltar), Blaz Sliskovic (Croatia/France)

    Adel Amrouche (Belgiqum), Raymond Domenech (France), Salim Belhamel (France), Vladimir Petrovic Aka Pizon (Serbia), Giovanni Trapattoni (Italy), Henryk Kasperczak (Poland), Dumas Franck (France), Stephen Keshi (Nigeria) Simone Drdi (Italy), Antonio Iannaccone (Italy), Gianni Bortolletto (Italy), Patrick De Wilde (Belgium), Bruno Bini/Dominique Bijotat (France), Eduardo Manuel Vingada (Portugal), Miodrag Jesic (Yugoslavia), Dimitri Bianchi (Italy), Michel Dussuyer (France), Lorenzo De Lista (Italy)

    Jose Anigo (France), Dave Jones (England), Michael Nees (Germany), Bortoletto Gianni (Italy), Antonio Ianneccone (Italy), Tatulli Pasquale (Italy), Tommaso Bellini (Italy), Stefano Maccopi (Italy), Paul Put (Belgium), Paulo Campos (Brazil), Juan Jose Agustin Nolla (Spain), Zebib Bassam (Liban), Janin Pascal (France),

    Didier Gomes Da Rosa (France), Milovan Rajevac (Serbia), Paulo Jorge Silva (Portugal), Patrick Aussems (Belgium), Neveu Patrice (France), Villanti Giovanni Luigi (Italy), Djoko Kokovic (Serbia), Cvijetic Kristian (Serbia), Lorenzo Loria (Italy), Massimiliano De Celis (Italy), Stephano Cusin (Italy), Luc Eymael (France), Denis Lavagne (France), Augusto De Bartolo (Italy), Valvo Walter (Italy), Pasquale Panico (Italy), Antonetti Frédéric (France), Salvadore Antonio Nobile (Italy)

     

  • Ivory Coast court jails ex-first lady 20 years over poll violence

    Ivory Coast court jails ex-first lady 20 years over poll violence

    A court in Ivory Coast on Tuesday in Abidjan, sentenced former first lady, Simone Gbagbo, to 20 years in prison, for her role in a 2011 post-election violence.

    Rodrigue Dadje, her lawyer, said the trial verdicts were announced after nine hours of deliberations by the jury.

    He said Gbagbo was tried alongside 82 other allies of ex-President Laurent Gbagbo.

    “This is purely a political decision to keep her out of the political game,’’ he said.

    He said they were being tried in a case, in which more than 3,000 people, were killed.

    Dadje said Gen. Bruno Ble, who headed the elite Republican Guard, and former Navy Chief, Adm.Vagba Faussignaux, were both jailed for 20 years, while the former president’s son got shorter sentence.

    “The jury members retained all the charges against her, including disturbing the peace, forming and organising armed gangs and undermining state security. It’s a shame,” he said.

    Dadje said the sentence handed down by the six-member jury, was longer than the 10 years requested by the state prosecutor.

    He said the former first lady’s rights, were also suspended for 10 years.

    The lawyer said Pascal Affi-N’Guessan, President of Gbagbo’s Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) party, was also handed an 18-month suspended sentence.

    The ex-first lady said she had been insulted and humiliated by the prosecution, which, she said, had failed to prove her guilt, adding that she told her part of the truth.

    “I’m prepared to forgive. I forgive because, if we don’t forgive, this country will burn,” she said. “

  • Laurent Gbagbo’s wife jailed for 20 years

    Laurent Gbagbo’s wife jailed for 20 years

    An Ivorian court has on Tuesday sentenced Simone Gbagbo, wife of the former president of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo to 20 years imprisonment.

    Simone was on Monday convicted for her role in the post-election violence of 2010 which claimed no fewer than 3,000 lives.

    After much deliberation, the court, presided over by Tahirou Dembele, unanimously condemned the 65-year-old former Ivorian first lady to the jail term of 20years despite prosecutors’ demand for a 10-year sentence.

    Laurent Gbagbo is currently in the custody of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) for about three years, awaiting trial over similar charges.

    Gbagbo had refused to cede power to his rival Alassane Ouattara after the later was announced winner of the 2010 presidential election, and in the aftermath, violence broke out in the Coast.

    He is held in The Hague facing charges of crimes against humanity by the ICC but Ivorians have repeatedly refused to hand his wife over to the court on the same charge.

    The presidential couple were arrested April 11, 2011 after five months of fierce fighting following a final push by French forces against their residence.

    Fervently Christian but ruthless by reputation, Simone Gbagbo has never sought to deny exercising political influence after her husband rose to power in 2000 elections in which former prime minister Ouattara was barred from standing on the grounds he was a foreigner.

    “All the ministers respect me, and they often consider me above them. I’ve got what it takes to be a minister.

    “I engaged in political struggle against the former regime alongside men. I spent six months in prison, I was beaten, molested, left for dead. After all those trials, it’s logical that people don’t mess with me,” she told the French newsweekly l’Express in 2001, justifying her stance after a life she said had been dedicated to activism.

  • Akwa Utd defender braces up for Ivory Coast

    Akwa Utd defender braces up for Ivory Coast

    Akwa United centre-back, Godspower Igudia, has told supersport.com that he is excited to be among the 19 Nigerian players who will face one of the 2015 Afcon favourites, Ivory Coast in an international friendly this month.

    Igudia, whose name was erroneously missing from the list of 19-man squad announced by Nigeria stand-in coach Daniel Amokachi on Thursday, believes the call-up will spur him on to “good things” this year.

    “It came as a surprise to me when I got the call that I have to join the national team for the friendly matches. So I just packed my bags and suspended my Christmas and New Year celebration and joined the camp because it is a once-in-a-life oppportunity. There are thousands of players out there who want this opportunity, and I am grateful to God that I have been considered good enough for the national team of my country.

    “I am even more happy that I made the team for the matches. This is just the start of good things to come I believe and I will only continue to do my best to get the chance to be in the team and play matches too.

    “As for the team that will play the matches, that remains the decision of the coaches. I’ll only have to give my best if I am considered for any of the matches. But I remain grateful to God and the coaches for this chance,” Igudia told supersport.com.

    The Akwa United man is a surprise call-up by Amokachi to the Super Eagles’ camp for the international friendly matches against Ivory Coast and Sudan in Abu Dhabi on January 12 and 17 respectively.

    He joined the Super Eagles’ camp in Abuja preparatory to the international matches on December 28.

    The squad

    Goalkeepers: Chigozie Agbim (Gombe United), Daniel Akpeyi (Warri Wolves), Theophilus Afelokhai (Kano Pillars)

    Defenders: Solomon Kwambe (Sunshine Stars), Idris Aloma (El-Kanemi Warriors); Chima Akas (Sharks), Nelson Ogbonnaya (Heartland), Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Bright Esieme (Enyimba), Godspower Igudia (Akwa United)

    Midfielders: Joseph Nathaniel (Sharks), Charles Henlong (Giwa FC), Stanley Dimgba (Warri Wolves), Rabiu Ali (Kano Pillars), Kingsley Sokari (Enyimba)

    Forwards: Mfon Udoh (Enyimba), Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves), Gambo Muhammad (Kano Pillars), Christian Obiozor (Enugu Rangers)

  • Ivory Coast rainy season death toll reaches 39

    Flooding and landslides during the Ivory Coast’s rainy season have killed 39 people over the last month, officials said Friday.

    The majority died on June 19, when 23 people were killed in overnight landslides in the economic hub Abidjan, but several weeks of torrential rain have continued to cause flooding across the country.

    “This toll also includes disasters that have happened in the interior of the country,” said Fiacre Kili, who leads the national civil protection office.

    Last weekend, five people were killed when flooding hit villages near Grand Lahou, west of the capital, while hundreds of houses were destroyed in the town itself, many of them because of landslides.

    Abidjan has seen a number of flooding-related deaths in recent years, with victims tending to live in slums with poor housing and infrastructure, backing onto land which gives way under heavy rains.

    In June 2009, 21 people died in the city, while seven lost their lives in 2008 and 11 in 2011.

    A month of almost-continuous rain has caused precipitation in the country to rise well above normal levels, although the situation has improved in the last few days.

  • Trapattoni set to be named Ivory Coast boss

    Trapattoni set to be named Ivory Coast boss

    Giovanni Trapattoni has revealed that he could be set to continue his coaching career with Ivory Coast.

    The enigmatic Italian has been out of work since leaving his role as Republic of Ireland boss by mutual consent last September.

    Trapattoni, 75, stated on Tuesday that he rejected the opportunity to take over as Morocco coach and has had talks with Ivory Coast with a view to replacing Sabri Lamouchi.

    He told Italian radio station Radio Due: “The Ivory Coast? Everything should materialise in 15 days’ time,

    “I could also have accepted taking charge of Morocco and I thought about it for 48 hours, but in the end I made my decision.”

    Lamouchi’s tenure ended when he failed to guide the African nation beyond the group stage in the FIFA World Cup, a last-gasp defeat to Greece denying them a route out of Group C.

  • Nigeria now 30th in FIFA rankings

    Nigeria now 30th in FIFA rankings

    Nigeria leapt 22 places up the FIFA rankings on Thursday following Super Eagles victory at the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations but the continent remained without a team in the top ten.

    The Super Eagles, who edged Burkina Faso 1-0 in Sunday’s final in South Africa to win the competition for the first time in 19 years, rose to 30th place in the table, the team’s best position for three years.

    The Burkinabes, who exceeded expectations by reaching the final, stayed outside the top 50 but had jumped 37 places to 55th, Supersport.com reports.

    Ivory Coast, beaten by Nigeria in the quarterfinals, remained Africa’s highest-ranked side in 12th, followed by Ghana seven places below.

    Surprise package Cape Verde, who reached the quarterfinals in South Africa, moved up 13 places to 63rd.

    CONCACAF’s highest-ranked team is Mexico in 15th while the best Asia could muster was Japan, who is ranked 28th.

    Five-times World Cup winners and 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil remained in 18th spot, the team’s lowest-ever ranking, after losing 2-1 to England in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s first game back as coach last week.

    The win took England up two places to fourth.

    The South Americans showed their strength-in-depth as Venezuela climbed 10 places to 45th, leaving all of the continent’s 10 teams in the top 50.

    There was no change in the top three where world and European champions Spain lead, followed by Germany and Argentina.

    The Turks and Caicos Islands, Bhutan and San Marino were tied in 207th and last place.

     

  • Drogba seeks to go past Nigeria

    Drogba seeks to go past Nigeria

    Ivory Coast captain, Didier Drogba is looking forward to the quarter final game of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations against Nigeria on Sunday with victory in his mind, futaa.com reports.

    Like many of his Côte d’Ivoire team-mates, Drogba has won countless trophies with his club sides, but what has eluded him, at least so far, is a winners’ medal from a major international competition with the national team.

    At age 34, time is against the big striker, but he says it would be a grand achievement for the Elephants if they could win the AFCON in South Africa.

    Last year, Côte d’Ivoire made it through to the final of the tournament in Gabon. There the team faced underdogs Zambia, and with the score goalless in the 70th minute, the Ivoirians were awarded a penalty, which Drogba shot over.

    Although the striker made his spot kick in the eventual penalty shoot-out, the Chipolopolo went on to win 8-7 to deny Drogba and his team-mates once again.

    Ironically, given the plaudits for his winning penalty for Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final last year, Drogba is also known in Africa for missing a spot kick in the 2006 final shoot-out against Egypt.

    But the irrepressible Abidjan native is keeping things positive ahead of what is sure to be a rugged quarter-final on Sunday against two-time champions Nigeria as he looks ahead to a possible final on February 10 in Johannesburg.

    -I am really hoping that we can win the tournament this time around. It has been a long wait for us, and it would be massive if we could win, Drogba said.