"The more things change, the more the stay the same."
--Emilie
>Friday, February 1, 2002.
>By Celestine Okonkwo
>
>IVORIENS have reacted harshly to the exit of the Elephants from the 23rd
>Nations Cup with some of them calling for the disbandment of the team and
>the government to suspend its subventions to football.
>
>"People were criticising Gen. Robert Guel for taking members of the national
>team to the military training school for some lessons on patriotism when
>they lost in the 2000 edition of the Nations cup, but I will want them this
>time around to be taken to the Akouedo barracks and be flogged," Kouassi
>Paul, a mechanic said after the match.
>
>He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abidjan that he would recommend
>that the national team be disbanded for 10 years adding, "being eliminated
>is part of the game but not being humiliated as the Congolese have done to
>us." Kone Coulibaly, a student who said that the players collected five
>million f cfa (about N1 million) each "just for jamboree in Mali," added
>that the outcome was the result of the "megalomania" of Ivoriens and their
>football, because they never wanted to copy other people or learn from what
>others do.
>
>"As usual, because we did not qualify for the World Cup, Ivorien television
>stations would not show the World Cup matches, neither would the citizens
>show interest even in other African teams involved, so that our younger ones
>would learn from the experiences."
>
>NAN reports that the national dailies were unanimous in their condemnation
>of the performance of the team as they almost all carried banner headlines
>of "Shame" while others titled their write-ups as "Ivorien football
>humiliated," and some as "Cote d'Ivoire is sick of its footballers."
>
>One of the dailies, Le Jour, said that the country had received a cruel exit
>because of players "who lacked the will, the driving force to look for
>goals, who do not want to take initiatives and because of flagrant cheating
>by some of them."
>
>Another newspaper, Le National, even went as far as calling the players "a
>band of bandits who took it upon themselves to disgrace the country in
>Soundiata's land in the Nations Cup, where the defence of most teams have
>become impenetrable, only the Ivorien defence remained porous to have
>allowed four goals to pass and with an inexistent attackers."
>
>It called on the government to imitate the Camerounian government that once
>dissolved its national team and sent packing the football federation,
>adding, "the result is clear for all to see today."
>
>The paper, which blamed the failure of the national team on the chairman of
>the federation and the sports minister whom it called "vampires" thirsty for
>money, said that both of them were engaged in hostilities which sowed the
>seed of discord in the team when the country badly needed unity around the
>players.
>
>The national said that the Nations Cup had ended for the Elephants "through
>the fault of a coach that is limited in knowledge and that of small rascals"
>who are pompously called "footballers" adding, "they have shown to the whole
>world that they do not have a place in the Nations Cup."
>
>"Congolese ball gave problems to the very heavy and badly inspired Elephants
>with no souls," Fraternite Matin, the government-owned newspaper said of the
>team before, adding "after an inconsistent display, the players have finally
>sent the Elephants to their houses."
>
>In its article title: "Elephants humiliated," the paper said that the
>footballers had tarnished the image of the country, as they came last in the
>group with a very said report for those who knew the worth of Ivorien
>football. NAN reports that the Ivoriens really prepare their minds for a
>beautiful outing of the national team, especially after their 1-1 draw with
>the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a friendly match in Bouake.
>
>Some 20 luxury buses were hired for those who would want to go to cheer the
>team and with money flowing from the government, individuals and firms in
>support of the team. The national committee for the support of the Elephants
>had asked every Ivorien to contribute 1,000 f cfa (about N180) each in order
>to sustain the team during the Nations Cup and the President made available
>about 20 million f cfa for the supporters.
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