AFCON 2024: an Ivorian miracle
Côte d’Ivoire national football team at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations’ final. Image: AP
The Africa Cup of Nations 2024 was the AFCON of surprises and spectacle. Fewer stars but great stories, many twists and turns, and an endless flow of emotions. Abidjan, the capital of the host nation Côte d’Ivoire, held its ground and shook up the world of African football for a month. The Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire, kings of Africa, now have a third star on their jersey after scooping the victory from the Super Eagles of Nigeria on 11 February, 2024.
But this ending could not have been predicted from the Ivorians’ rocky start to the competition. After a historic defeat against Equatorial Guinea (0-4) in the third game of the group stage, the host country was on the brink of collapse in third place of its group (out of four). Their elimination and humiliation was close. French coach Jean Louis Gasset was fired in the middle of the competition, Côte d’Ivoire was at its lowest and was betting for its survival on a victory from Morocco against Zambia.
Luckily, Côte d’Ivoire ended up qualifying following Morocco's victory against Zambia (1-0). A victory that allowed the Elephants to obtain the last ticket for the next round. In the round of 16, facing the Senegalese defending champions, the Ivorians were not afraid of anything after coming back from the dead. So they showed up, carried by a whole nation that felt as present as a12th player on the field when the team won by penalties. The Ivorian miracle continued.
After a quarter-final upset against Mali, Emerse Fae came through as the great architect of the final victory. The former Ivorian international player and new coach of the national team, was able to restore confidence to the group midway through the competition. He transformed hectic euphoria into divine confidence, leading the team to a semi-final victory against the Democratic Republic of Congo (1-0), before finally taking away the cup from Nigeria, who was already counting its fourth star, and winning the final (2-1).
The 2024 AFCON was full of surprises and unexpected outcomes that no one could have predicted. Morocco, semi-finalists in the last World Cup, exited in the round of 16 to South Africa.The last three trophy winners did not even get to the quarterfinals. Algeria, winner of 2019 AFCON, was eliminated in the first round by the modest Mauritania while Cameroon, 2017 winner, was only a shadow of itself. And Senegal, the title holder, was eliminated on penalties by the Ivorian team in the round of 16.
But there were also great stories and lots of goals. Stories like Simon Adingra,the 22-year-old Ivorian striker, who was voted best young person of the tournament and best player of the final, thanks to his equalizing goal against Mali in the quarter-final. At the age of 12, Adingra fell into the clutches of a charlatan posing as a coach and promising to help develop his talent in an academy in Benin. His family was conned into paying for a trip with no academy. The then teenager was left to his own devices in a foreign country at the age of 12 with other victims of the conman. After struggling in the streets of Benin, the destiny of the young Ivorian player changed when he was spotted by a real recruiter.
There was also the talent and collective strength of South Africa who ended the competition in third place after beating the Democratic Republic of Congo in the third place play-off (match between the two losing teams of the semi-final). Bafana Bafana lit up the competition with their good humor and ever-positive fan base. And Mauritania, with only its second participation in the tournament, qualified for the round of 16 by eliminating the winner of the 2019 edition, Algeria (1-0).
Cape Verde, Angola and Equatorial Guinea were also noticeable as they brought different styles of play and freshness with lesser known, but talented, players. Emilio Nsue, striker from Equatorial Guinea, was crowned top scorer in the competition (5 goals) ahead of players like Sebastien Haller, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Victor Osimhen. He plays in the Spanish third division.
With 118 goals scored during the competition, (compared to 78 in 2022, 102 in 2019, and 66 in 2017), twists and turns, suspense and great stories, the 2024 AFCON will be remembered for a long time. Not only did it surpass all previous editions in terms of financial investments (a billion dollars was invested by the Ivorian government), viewership (over 2 billion viewers watched the tournament worldwide), and media coverage (TV rights); Ivory Coast ended up with the cup of nations for their game and also for their excellence in hosting. Football fans were impressed by the organization on the ground, leveling African football to other international tournaments.
Next stop, Morocco in June 2025.
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