AFCON Final: Ivory Coast support Ghana

A cross section of Ivorians strongly believe their neighbours Ghana will taste their fifth African title in Sunday's clash against Egypt.

"The final Ghana vs Egypt will be a thriller, I trust the Black Stars who have demonstrated that it takes much more than mere talent and experience to win football matches. They play with their heart, see how they played to reach this final stage, they will pick this cup’ said Ludovic Ayegbo, the coach of ‘Etoile FC’, an U-2O football team of Abobo District in Abidjan, when asked who he thinks would win Sunday’s final match.

A day before the kick-off, this much-awaited football game and its outcome still fuel debates in schools, in offices, in streets and in ‘Maquis’, local open-air bars in Abidjan, the capital city of Ivory Coast. Opposing arguments are built around the experience of Egypt who have made its third consecutive final appearance and who will try to be the first country to win three consecutive AFCON. On the other hand, the determination of Black Stars and their love for their country are seen as a strength that can lead them to beat the defending champions.

When asked who they would support in this final Cup and why, many Ivorians will tell you that if they had a choice between supporting Ghana and supporting Egypt, they would choose Ghana. This choice is a natural one for some of them who see in Ghana the team that best represents West Africa at this stage of the tournament. The other, more numerous go beyond this mere reason and just recall their ancestry link with Ghana. But, though most of them speak of Black Stars’ good performance; they acknowledge that Egypt will be a hard nut to crack.

‘Selay, you were here, and you witnessed the way we celebrated when Ghana picked the U-20 FIFA world Cup last year. Even President Gbagbo awarded medals to the squad that won the cup. This team makes us West Africans very proud, and now you ask me how we will celebrate this victory, we will go mad. Yesterday, I told my Disc Joker to select some highlife tunes. I won’t say more, just wait and see!’ said Franck Yapo, a 37 year-old ‘Maquis’ Manager, with a voice conveying emotion.

AfricaNews reporter said the mood in town reminds him of how Ivorians went out in streets to parade during a whole night when Ghana won the U-20 FIFA World Cup. Vehicles could be seen speeding up and tooting their horns.