Ivory Coast is gearing up to face Mali in the first leg of the 2014 African Women’s Cup of Nations qualifiers set to take place in Namibia. The coach of the Ivorian national women’s team, Clementine Touré, has called up 40 players for the upcoming match.
A final, reduced squad will be announced in mid-January, with a focused objective in the context of the penultimate round of the 2014 women’s CAN qualifiers. If Ivory Coast successfully eliminates Mali, they will advance to face Equatorial Guinea in the last round.
Since December 16, 2013, the team’s captain, Jeanne Gnago, along with her teammates, has been engaged in rigorous training sessions focusing on endurance, as well as technical and tactical skills. The Ivorian coaching staff is placing emphasis on physical preparation, and they have enlisted the expertise of Nahi Estelle and Tia Estelle, who have gained valuable experience in Serbia.
