Ivory Coast Football Federation boss Yacine Idriss Diallo has congratulated the players despite their elimination from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The West African football heavyweights, who are the defending champions fell short in the quarterfinals to Egypt, bringing an end to their AFCON journey in the North African country.
Ivory Coast hoped for semifinals qualification, but the Pharaohs, who are seeking for their eighth AFCON title proved to be a stronger opponent.
Despite the setback, the Ivory Coast football leader has commended players commitment at tournament, while shifting attention to the 2026 World Cup tournament.
Below is the statement:
“Well, gentlemen, our adventure in the Africa Cup of Nations unfortunately ends this evening. The goal we set for ourselves, which was to bring the trophy home, will unfortunately not be achieved. This can be considered a failure because we did not achieve our objectives.”
But for me, this is not a failure. I wanted first to thank you all, every single one of you, one by one.
Why? Because you left your families, your wives and children, even your clubs, risking your positions to answer the call of duty. I’ve been with you since the beginning of the gathering; I’ve seen how you’ve worked, how dedicated you’ve been, how you’ve sacrificed for the country.
But this evening, quite frankly, our opponents were stronger than us. This doesn’t call into question your abilities, your competence, or our project. But we must clearly analyze our weaknesses, what didn’t work, and correct them. I live with you every day, sharing your meals, your conversations, your training.
We all know what the coach said in the tactical talk: the most important thing in the world is focus. Unfortunately, our experience tells us that playing against Egypt and conceding a goal after five minutes puts us in a difficult position because we spend time chasing the result and fail. But on a tactical level, lessons will be learned.
But I want to sincerely thank you for your commitment, your participation, and the work you have done. On your behalf, I would like to thank the Head of State, who provided us with the necessary resources through the government. I also want to thank all Ivorians who supported us, prayed for us, and accompanied us with their prayers. I would like to apologize to them if we do not achieve the expected result.
This isn’t anyone’s fault, nor is it the responsibility of any of these young people; it’s the responsibility of the entire group. We are a group; if we had won, we would all have been happy; if we had lost, we would all have been sad, but that doesn’t negate the work we did.
The coach and his assistants will be working on preparations for the upcoming FIFA international break in March, as we are building a project aimed at participating in the World Cup with the best possible performance, something no Ivorian team has ever achieved before. That is our next objective. So, individually, thank you all.
Thank you, and I hope you return home safely, reunite with your families, resume your difficult work, and reclaim your positions. Remember that when you are Ivorian, you can suffer, you can fall, but you must never give up. We Ivorians never give up. So, guys, the fight continues and I trust you. Thank you.
It is true that we made mistakes, but you fought until the end, until the very last moment, and against a team like Egypt, to be 2-0 down, then come back to 2-1, then concede a third goal, then come back to 3-2, and make them suffer until the end, that is a big thing.
Not many teams are capable of doing that. So we leave here all disappointed, but with our heads held high, and let this defeat be a lesson for the future. The president said there’s a World Cup coming up soon, with matches like this, all matches like this, World Cup-level matches. We have to be ready for these matches, and learn from our mistakes so we don’t repeat them.
So congratulations to everyone, return to your clubs safe and sound, reclaim your places, have a good season, a good end to the season, a good second half of the season, and we will meet in March to prepare for the World Cup. Okay guys, congratulations again to everyone”
Ivory Coast will now turn their attention to the upcoming 2026 World Cup tournament to be staged in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
