Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Guardian Nigeria
Published on 2024-02-12 12:33:41
The Africa Cup of Nations concluded Sunday with the Ivory Coast defeating Nigeria in the final in Abidjan. There were many memorable quotes from the event. Sebastien Haller, who scored the decisive late goal in the 2-1 final defeat of Nigeria, stated “We hoped to get to this point and once again the match wasn’t an easy one. The joyous scenes we see now, what’s happening in the country, they deserve it too. I really hope it does a lot of people good.” Ivory Coast’s caretaker coach Emerse Fae expressed appreciation by saying, “God has given us a second chance, so now we have an obligation to give our everything.”
Ivory Coast squeezed into the knockout stage and won the tournament, which lead coach Emerse Fae to comment, “I do not have words, I still have trouble taking it all in.” Star player Franck Kessie echoed this by saying, “As long as we have a five or 10 percent chance, we need to keep believing, because that is what makes football beautiful.” Africa’s other powerhouse football nations had a tough time. Senegal’s Sadio Mane foresaw the tough competition his team faced, mentioning that “All the giants are going to the Ivory Coast and all of them will be plotting to dethrone us.” Despite early elimination, Egypt’s captain Mohamed Salah still expressed confidence, believing that Egypt winning AFCON again would come to fruition.
The Africa Cup of Nations attracted criticism as well. South Africa’s coach Hugo Broos stated, “This game should not be played” regarding third place play-offs. Morocco’s captain Romain Saiss shared his thoughts, saying, “This AFCON is a bit crazy. We should have done better. You have to be able to ‘kill’ matches when the opportunity arises.” A sentiment similarly expressed by Senegal winger Krepin Diatta, who criticized CAF after a last-16 loss.
Overall, the tournament saw many ups and downs, with various players, coaches, and officials sharing their thoughts and experiences. The football’s community hope that these remarkable moments will lead to commercial value, as noted by CAF president Patrice Motsepe who said “We need spectators to enjoy watching African football. It has got to be appealing, attractive and exciting because then it has commercial value.”
