Jean-Louis Gasset (70 years old) began the adventure of the African Cup of Nations at the head of the Ivorian selection. But it is not him who will accompany her in the final against Nigeria this Sunday February 11. The French coach resigned at the start of the tournament, when nothing was working in the Elephants team.
In an interview given to The Team this February 9, the former deputy of Laurent Blanc explains the surreal reasons for his failure. He left office on the evening of a devastating defeat (4-0) against Guinea. “We were in a devastated locker room with clashes outside,” he confides. I saw the little ones on their cell phones to check on their family. They were scared. We must never experience this again! We were on the verge of a catastrophe, frankly. I’ve been coaching for thirty-five years and this is the first resignation, but given what was happening…”
According to his words, Gasset by submitting his letter still had the support of his group and the president of the federation Idriss Diallo. “When I gave him my resignation, he asked me for a night of reflection. But it was the best solution. When I recently reread what I wrote, I was surrounded by negative vibes. You arrive in May, the general secretary with whom you sympathized dies, your first internship, you learn of Haller’s cancer (Sébastien), you arrive in the last one, a double sprain of the ankle for him… And the day before he resumes, he twists in the same place. Lots of stuff like that…”
“I dream of seeing Haller score the goal in the final”
If Ivory Coast wins the final, Jean-Louis Gasset will not be rewarded. He will not be African champion, the CAN regulations not giving him this honor. But he will still have a share of the victory for himself. “The list was well constructed even if I did not manage to put it in place well,” he emphasizes. We will have arrived at the objective differently but it proves that the chosen commando is the right one, even if I would have preferred not to arrive at this outcome. Some people didn’t understand why I kept Haller and (Simon) Adingra. There you go… And both score, I was so happy. I dream of having Haller score the goal in the final. He deserves it so much. »
He will obviously watch the final in front of his TV. “ “Of course, I don’t miss a beat!” he confirms. And as soon as the referee blows the final whistle, the president has a text message. I’m sending it to the staff, the players, the captain! I am proud of the Elephants, happy. My departure brought peace. We say to ourselves, he was the culprit and that protects others. You had to see death up close perhaps to bounce back. Ivory Coast are not favorites because Nigeria are higher ranked in Africa and have (Victor) Osimhen, the best African player of the year. But with Haller, Adingra and maybe (Nicolas) Pépé, it’s no longer the same team. I knew she would gain momentum. »
