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Ivory Coast

National Coach: Sven-Goran Eriksson National Stadium: FA founded: 1960 ( FA Website ) Joined FIFA: 1961 FIFA Code: CIV Nickname: Elephants						Local Name: Cote D'Ivoire Capital: Yamoussoukro Population: 20,179,602 Area: 322,460 km2 Tel: +225 / Internet: .ci Currency: Franc (XOF) - Rates
Domestic Season: February - November
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Ivoirian Football League System

Level: 1 Ligue 1 MTN view 14 Teams

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Ligue 1 MTN

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:: Ivory Coast football news ::

Click here for all news stories on football in Ivory Coast.

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Sven Goran Eriksson’s Ivory Coast team began their World Cup campaign with a seemingly creditable draw against much fancied Portugal in Port Elizabeth, but it was this result that would eventually prove most costly as they ultimately failed in their quest to qualify for the second round for the first time in their history. The scoreline against Portugal remained goalless throughout and both teams seemed happy to settle for a point and hope to outdo each other over the next two games in their efforts to secure a likely second place behind expected group winners Brazil. Indeed, the Ivory Coast had opportunities to press for a winner late on, but they preferred to keep the ball safe near the corner flag rather than risk losing possession by crossing it.

Star striker Didier Drogba had picked up an elbow injury in the lead up to the tournament and only participated in the last 25 minutes of their opening game against Portugal but he was fit enough to return to the starting line up against Brazil. He had little impact in the fist 45 minutes, however, as the Brazilians dominated possession and opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Luis Fabiano beat the offside trap to thump a fine shot past Boubacar Barry. The same player doubled the advantage 25 minutes later although this time there was more than a hint of handball about his goal. Elano wrapped up the win for Brazil twelve minutes later and, although Drogba did get a late consolatory headed goal, the Ivorians were left with a mountain to climb because Portugal built up a far superior goal difference in beating North Korea 7-0.

Ivory Coast went into their final game against North Korea knowing that a draw in the other group game would put them out, and as it transpired, that was what happened, so they were effectively playing for pride in Nelspruit. They had little trouble in dispatching the hapless Koreans, and were two goals to the good after only twenty minutes courtesy of strikes from Yaya Toure and Romaric. Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou rounded off the scoring in the 82nd minute to end the tournament on a high note but the victory was in vain and they will look back on that opening game draw with Portugal as a missed opportunity.

For the second time running, the Ivorians had the bad luck to be drawn in one of the toughest World Cup groups and they again played some nice football but came up just short, finishing third in Group G with four points and a positive goal difference following a draw, a defeat and a win. In most other groups they would probably have progressed and they will hope for better ‘luck of the draw’ next time they qualify for the finals.

The Ivorian squad submitted to FIFA was as follows:

NUMBER – POSITION – NAME – AGE- CLUB

1 – GK – Boubacar BARRY – 30 – Lokeren
16 – GK – Aristide ZOGBO – 28 – Maccabi Netanya
23 – GK – Daniel YEBOAH – 25 – ASEC Mimosas
2 – DF – Brou ANGOUA – 23 – Valenciennes
3 – DF – Arthur BOKA – 27 – VfB Stuttgart
4 – DF – Kolo TOURE – 29 – Manchester City
6 – DF – Steve GOHOURI – 29 – Wigan
17 – DF – Siaka TIENE – 28 – Valenciennes
20 – DF – Guy DEMEL – 28 – Hamburger SV
21 – DF – Emmanuel EBOUE – 27 – Arsenal
22 – DF – Souleymane BAMBA – 25 – Hibernian
5 – MF – Didier ZOKORA – 29 – Sevilla FC
9 – MF – Ismael TIOTE – 23 – Twente Enschede
12 – MF – Jean Jacques GOSSO – 27 – Monaco
13 – MF – ROMARIC – 27 – Sevilla FC
14 – MF – Emmanuel KONE – 23 – International
19 – MF – Yaya TOURE – 27 – Barcelona
7 – FW – Seydou DOUMBIA – 22 – Young Boys
8 – FW – Salomon KALOU – 24 – Chelsea
10 – FW – GERVINHO – 23 – Lille
11 – FW – Didier DROGBA – 32 – Chelsea
15 – FW – Aruna DINDANE – 29 – Portsmouth
18 – FW – Kader KEITA – 28 – Galatasaray

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Ivory Coast beat Japan 2-0 in their final official warm up match for the World Cup. However, the main headline from the game played in Sion, Switzerland, was that Ivory Coast start striker and talisman Didier Drogba picked up an injury that may rule him out of the finals.

The Chelsea striker’s importance was underlined early on when his free-kick opened the scoring, albeit with a telling deflection off the unfortunate Japanese defender Tulio Tanaka, who also scored on own goal against England.

Drogba subsequently fractured his arm in a clash with Tulio, which put a major question mark over his participation in the finals. However, he has already had surgery and it is reported to have gone well so there is still hope that he will play some part for Sven Goran Eriksson’s men.

The second and clinching goal came around ten minutes from full time when Manchester City defender Kolo Toure volleyed home to send the Elephants off to South Africa with a morale boosting victory. Japan, on the other hand, are in disarray having lost four games in a row. This was to have been their last warm up match, but following the defeat they will now play Mozambique in a last ditch effort to get a win under their belt before the finals kick off.

Ivory Coast 2-0 Japan (04/06/2010)

Starting Line-Ups:

Ivory Coast:
Barry
Demel
K. Toure
Eboue
Tiene
Y. Toure
Zokora
Cheik Tiote
Drogba
Kalou
Dindane

Substitutions:
18 Doumbia for Drogba
66 Keita for Doumbia
88 Kone for Tiote

Japan:
Kawashima
Nakazawa
Tulio
Konno
Nagatomo
Endo
Abe
Hasebe
Honda
Okubo
Okazaki

Substitutions:
46 Inamoto for Abe
46 Nakamura for Honda
46 Nakamura for Endo
66 Morimoto for Okubo
66 Tamada for Okazaki
67 Komano for Konno

Goals:
Tulio (12 O.G.)
K. Toure (80)

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World Cup hopefuls Paraguay and the Ivory Coast shared four goals in their World Cup warm up friendly match in Thonon-Les-Bains on the banks of Lake Geneva in France. It was Swedish manager Sven Goran Eriksson’s first game in charge of the Elephants and he will have plenty of positives upon which to draw, albeit with one or two negatives in the final fifteen minutes as he watched his side squander a two-goal lead.

The match came alive in the second half, following a goalless first period. Chelsea’s Didier Drogba opened the scoring in the 54th minute when his deflected free-kick found the net and Hibernian defender doubled the advantage twenty minutes later with only his second international goal. However, this spurred the South Americans into action and they quickly fought back, reducing the deficit almost immediately through Borussia Dortmund’s Lucas Barrios, his second goal in as many international appearances.

Paraguay strove for an equaliser and it finally came courtesy of left-back Aureliano Torres, who popped up to score his first international goal in the final minute. The Paraguayans have now experienced a win (v North Korea), a defeat (v Ireland) and a draw in their build up to South Africa. They conclude their preparations with a game against Greece in Winterthur on the 2nd of June.

The Ivory Coast are only playing two warm up matches. The second is against Japan in Sion on the 4th of June and they then have eleven days of training ahead of their opening World Cup fixture against Portugal in Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth.

Paraguay 2-2 Ivory Coast (30/05/2010)

Starting Line-ups:

Paraguay:
Villar
J. Caceres
Barrios Da Silva
Torres
Veron
Martinez
Ledesma
Estigarribia
V. Caceres
Ortigoza
Achucarro

Substitutions:
54 Aquino for Ledesma
70 Riveros for Ortigoza
70 Santa Cruz for Martinez
70 Barrios for Achucarro
78 Bonet for Veron

Ivory Coast:
Barry
K. Toure
Tiene
Y. Toure
Zokora
Romaric
Tiote
Gosso
Drogba
Kalou
Dindane

Substitutions:
46 Gervinho for Kalou
46 Eboue for Gosso
46 Bamba for K. Toure

Goals:
Drogba (54)
Bamba (74)
Barrios (75)
Torres (90)