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The national team 'The Elephants' and Drogba

Les Éléphants · Didier Drogba

✓ Verified · 3 sources

On 8 October 2005, after the national team qualified for the World Cup, captain Drogba knelt with his teammates in the dressing room and, on live television, called on both sides of the civil war to lay down their arms; days later the sides agreed to a ceasefire. Côte d'Ivoire won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and, as hosts, won the 2023 edition in early 2024.

In a country divided by politics and ethnicity, the national team is one of the few moments when everyone is on the same side.

CE QUE VOUS VERREZ · What you will see

On match days the whole city wears orange, white and green; fans tell you, quite seriously, that a player once helped halt a civil war with a television appeal.

POURQUOI · So what

Football binds national identity; the 2024 title was seen as a symbol of national revival.

SAVOIR-FAIRE · How to use it

A safe topic with anyone. Knowing about the 2005 appeal lets you move from football to the country's history without touching political positions.

Asian and European parallelsLike baseball in Taiwan: national team games create a shared feeling beyond political divides.

Where to experience itAny maquis on match day.