The Ivory Coast blog is back in time for the African Cup of Nations! I am super excited to be writing for the offside and…wait. Wait. The African Cup of Nations is not until…January? Oh geez, my first major soccer blog gig and I start off with a factual mistake. Well let’s just cover [...]

Didier Drogba the Cote d’Ivoire and Chelsea striker was accused of trying to get another player sent off by West Brom manager Bryan Robson.

Cote d’Ivoire lost leads twice to go down 3-2 to Spain in a exciting World Cup warm-up match in Valladolid.
Cote d’Ivoire striker Abdelkader Keita opened the scoring after scoring from close range but Spanish striker David Villa equalised six minutes later.
Cote d’Ivoire went in front again at the start of the second half when sub [...]

Cote d’Ivoire defenders Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue were both solid in the Arsenal defence, as their club beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League match at the Bernabeu stadium yesterday.
In an encounter which featured the likes of Zidane, Raul, Roberto Carlos, Robinho and David Beckham, Arsenal’s back four with a [...]

Cote d’Ivoire midfielder Yaya Gnegneri Toure was born in Cote d’Ivoire on the 13 May 1983. He is the younger brother of Arsenal and Cote d’Ivoire defender Kolo Toure and is a regular in both the Ivorian national team and Greek side Olympiacos.

Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue both featured for Arsenal FC yesterday as they lost 1-0 to Liverpool in the Premiership. Both had been away on international duty with Cote d’Ivoire at the African Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Arsene Wenger the Arsenal manager would have been happy to have the duo back because he [...]

1 GK TIZIE Jean-Jacques – (Esperance, TUN)
2 MF AKALE Kanga – (Auxerre, FRA)
3 DF BOKA Arthur – (Strasbourg, FRA)
4 DF TOURE Kolo – (Arsenal, ENG)
5 MF ZOKORA Didier – (Saint-Etienne, FRA)
6 DF KOUASSI Blaise – (Troyes, FRA)
7 MF FAE Emerse – (Nantes, FRA)
8 FW KALOU Bonaventure – (Paris St-Germain, FRA)
9 FW KONE Arouna – (PSV [...]

In a country plagued by poverty, football is seen as a way out. It also is a false promise.
Such is the situation in Ivory Coast where civil conflict has shattered the economy and football academies for youth have become a growth industry.
This story in the Times Online captures the hope that football offers to [...]