ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Thousands of jubilant Ivory Coast supporters were taking to Abidjan’s city streets on Monday to celebrate the country’s Africa Cup of Nations victory.
Blowing whistles and vuvuzelas, singing and chanting, the supporters poured out of commuter buses near the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny Stadium, where many then ran to arrive in time for the culmination of the team’s victory parade through the city.
The Elephants defeated Nigeria 2-1 in Sunday’s final to claim the country’s third title after wins in 1992 and 2015. It set off unbridled celebrations that lasted through the night in Abidjan and beyond.
“It’s God,” Ivorian worker Issouf Traoré told The Associated Press on Monday, convinced, like many, that there were divine reasons behind the team’s unlikely success after near elimination and the firing of the team coach after the group stage.
Interim coach Emerse Faé became the first in the history of the tournament to win it without having been in charge at the start.
“It’s a fantastic story,” supporter Sanogo Karamoko told the AP. He referred to the long wait since a host country won the biennial tournament. Egypt was the last in 2006.
Fans danced and cheered to loud music in the stadium as they awaited their heroes, while some simply rested while they could as the toll of their evident all-night celebrations took hold.
Ivory Coast supporters wait for their team to arrive at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, one day after they defeated Nigeria and won the 2024 African Cup of Nations. Credit: AP/Themba Hadebe
Supporters also made their way directly to the team’s hotel in the district of Cocody, from where the procession began its slow crawl through a sea of fans on the road.
Some waved Morocco flags to thank the Atlas Lions for keeping the Ivory Coast in the competition. The host nation was facing an early exit until Morocco defeated Zambia in another group to allow Ivory Coast…
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