With stadiums generally well filled, spectacle on the pitches, an incandescent atmosphere throughout the country for almost a month, Côte d'Ivoire succeeded in its challenge of organizing one of the African Cups of Nations ( CAN) the most successful.
Rather full stadiums
Before the start of the competition, the organizers had made a promise which seemed difficult to keep: no match should take place in front of empty stands.
While the stadium for the opening match was only two-thirds full, Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé immediately assured that he would take measures to remedy this.
If access to physical ticketing remained chaotic throughout the competition, very quickly, with a few rare exceptions, the stadiums showed good attendances, including in the 1st round, during which CAN matches usually struggle to attract crowds.
“It’s one of the most beautiful CANs I’ve seen, very nice, invigorating,”
experienced coach Claude Le Roy told AFP.
It now remains to transform the test and prevent the enclosures, particularly those outside Abidjan, from becoming
“white elephants”
that are little used.
According to the Ivorian Football Federation, they will be used in particular for national championship matches.
An incandescent atmosphere
From Abidjan to Korhogo, via Yamoussoukro, Bouaké and San Pedro, there have been numerous videos of supporters from across the continent raving about the welcome from the Ivorian population.
And the host country's failed first round did not for a moment detract from the good atmosphere that reigned in Ivory Coast.
“We lost but we don't care
,” some Ivorian fans even sang, after the 0-4 defeat against Equatorial Guinea, at a time when the Elephants were on the verge of elimination.
From simple maquis - restaurants and street bars - to official fan zones, Ivory Coast lived for a month to the rhythm of the CAN.
Students were even excused from lessons on Elephant match days.
And a CAN is never perfectly successful without its musical
“hit”
which will be remembered.
This year, it was the arranger Tam Sir who stole the show from Magic System and other celebrities with a heady
“Coup du Marteau”
with simple choreography which was taken up well beyond the Ivorian borders.
With the final victory of the Elephants, the atmosphere definitely turned into a big celebration.
Monday was even declared a public holiday.
Security assured
This was THE big concern of several observers before the start of the competition.
In addition to the risk of a jihadist attack in a country where two neighbors - Burkina and Mali - struggle daily with this threat, a stampede around the stadiums was one of the main fears.
Generally disciplined and well sorted in advance by the strong police force deployed around the stadiums, the spectators were able to calmly watch all the matches.
And when the crowd pushed a little hard to enter as in Yamoussoukro during Cameroon - Senegal in the 1st round, the authorities quickly released the pressure to allow spectators to enter, sometimes even without tickets.
The only downside: several deaths were reported in road accidents during celebrations of Elephant victories.
Show on the field
Often associated in the collective imagination with a defensive competition, with few goals, CAN 2024 took everyone on the wrong foot.
With 119 goals, it is even the most prolific edition in History, and it has also included numerous matches with incredible twists and turns.
Obviously, the Ivory Coast's journey will occupy a special place in the memories of football fans: almost eliminated in the first round, it came back from the dead by overthrowing Senegal and Mali in particular before eliminating the Congo and triumph in the final against Nigeria.
But other teams have defied the predictions by knocking out favorites.
Algeria thus left the CAN in the first round, exited by the astonishing Mauritania, Egypt fell against the DRC in the round of 16 while South Africa dismissed Morocco.
“It’s crazy, everyone thinks the same thing: this tournament is crazy. There are no more small teams and that’s very good
,” noted Ivorian defender Serge Aurier.
Sunday evening, after the final, a phrase came back to many lips:
“What a CAN it was!”
.