“Nations of Africa”: Abidjan murals tell the story of Ivorian football
From defender Kolo Habib Toure lifting the 2015 Cup, through the cry of “The Elephant” Didier Drogba after scoring a goal, to the faces of the country’s late football legend Laurent Boucot and the late 30-year-old Cheikh Tioutet, colorful murals around the Treichville Municipal Stadium in the heart of Abidjan tell the story of football in Côte d’Ivoire. Two-time African Nations winner.
Students at the Technical School in Abidjan painted murals around the stadium on the occasion of their country hosting the African Cup of Nations between January 13 and February 11, for the second time after 1984.
Near a giant mural depicting English Chelsea player Commander Drogba, who led his country to the World Cup three times in a row in 2006, 2010 and 2014, civil engineer Eric Aka (27 years old) told Agence France-Presse that they are “delightful murals that tell the story of football in our country and its most prominent symbols.”
He continued with clear determination: “Especially the players who were born here in Treichville (or in Côte d’Ivoire in general) and then joined the national team,” near a small picture of Borussia Dortmund’s German and country striker, Sebastien Haller, who was born in the suburbs of Paris.
He pointed to a giant picture of Ivorian football legend in the sixties and seventies of the last century, Laurent Boco, who for decades remained the all-time top scorer in the African Cup of Nations, with 14 goals scored in only two editions, 1968 and 1970, during four appearances.
His record remained standing until Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o broke it by scoring his 15th goal in the finals of the Ghana 2008 tournament, before reaching 18 goals in total.
But Boko, born in Treichville and the French star of Rennes, still holds another record, as he is the only player in the history of the tournament to score five goals in one match, against Ethiopia in the 1970 tournament.
Aka said with great enthusiasm that the picture of Boko, which depicts him sitting with his hands folded over his chest, “represents everything he gave to Ivorian football, especially in Treichville, because he passed on a lot of his knowledge to us.”
He added: “He trained people like Cheikh Tiote, Sékou Cisse, and many others who joined the national team.” It is “a gesture to honor his memory and for new generations to know him.”
Another image depicts the player Sheikh Tioteh, winner of the 2015 championship, who played for several European clubs, most notably Newcastle, England, at the peak of his career (2010-2017).
Teoti died at the age of 30 in June 2017 after suffering a heart attack while participating in exercises with his club in China.
Aka said with great sadness: “Teoti is a son of this region and we know his family well.” “His story is very tragic.”
This is how Abidjan was decorated during hosting the “Africa Cup of Nations” (AFP)
Nearby, a picture of the head of the tournament organizing committee, François Amechea, and a number of Ivorian players and athletes, such as runner Muriel Ahouré.
But the image of Toure celebrating the 2015 Cup after defeating Ghana on penalties remains an “incredible moment” in Ivorian football, according to Aka and others.
Côte d’Ivoire had a golden generation at the time led by Drogba and his teammates, but they lost the 2006 final to Egypt on penalties and the 2012 final to Zambia on penalties as well, after Drogba missed a penalty kick just twenty minutes before the end of normal time.
“It was our last chance to win the tournament,” Akka said. “We only have two championships, much less than we deserve.”
Mechanic Suleiman Tolo (54 years old) said as he passed by the picture of the Golden Cup after sighing, “When I see it, I feel proud of my country. I feel proud to be in Côte d’Ivoire.” “It is a real source of pride for us.”
He added: “These are not just drawings, they give us morale to support the team.”
While he was on his way home with his classmates after the end of their school day, Khader Salam (14 years old), in his sand-colored school uniform, said: “The murals reflect Côte d’Ivoire’s joy in organizing the tournament,” expressing his dream of becoming “one day a player like Drogba or Toure.”
Throughout the city, there are other drawings depicting special moments in the history of Côte d’Ivoire and its other players, such as Manchester City’s English player Yahya Toure, Chelsea winger Salomon Kalou, and even Youssef Fofana, the star of the 1992 championship.
With only one victory over Guinea Bissau 2-0 at the opening and two defeats against Nigeria 0-1 and then against Equatorial Guinea 0-4, the “Elephants” qualified for the second round as the worst third-place team, and they clash with defending champion Senegal on Monday in Yamasoukro.
He said in frustration: “If Côte d’Ivoire does not win, frankly, we will be disappointed, but the joy of the African Cup of Nations will not remain.”
But he added enthusiastically: “We will continue to go to the stadiums and support other teams.” “There will always be a celebration of the Nations Cup and we will tell people our story just like the murals do.”
2024-01-29 13:45:20
#Cahill #Australian #Open #title #Sinner #beginning
