By George Antwi
The Ivorian embassy in Ghana is set to host the rest of Ghanaians and its members leaving in Ghana for the opening match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The fun park which is scheduled to take place at the AFCON village at the residence of Cote D’ivoire in Accra will be the curtain raiser for the first open match between host country Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau.
The game at the embassy is to create and promote cordial relationships between Ghanaians and the Ivorian community in Ghana while fostering unity among sports enthusiasts.
Ivory Coast are in group A alongside Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Nigeria. The Elephants of Ivory Coast will be making their 25th AFCON appearance since their debut in 1965 against Guinea Bissau on 13th January 2024.
They won the competition on two occasions in 1992 after defeating neighbors Ghana in a dramatic penalty shootout, and their last triumph was 23 years later after once again defeating the Black Stars in another shootout drama at the Estadio de Bata in Equatorial Guinea.
Ivory Coast will be going into the tournament as the host nation and might want to capitalize on that advantage to win their third title. The beauty of this Ivory Coast team and what they represent is that it isn’t about individuals. They are Led by head coach Jean-Louis Gasset.
Currently the team is camping in Abidjan. Ivory Coast made light work of Sierra Leone in a pre-Afcon friendly on January 6.
Ousmane Diomande, Franck Kessie, Johnathan Bamba, Jeremie Boga and Lazare Amani were on target for the Elephants. They play Guinea-Bissau at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Saturday to kick-start the tournament.
