Ivory Coast are on the search for a new manager once again after Michel Dussuyer step down from his role following a very disappointing Africa Cup of Nations 2017.
Ivory Coast went into the tournament as one of the strong favourites for success, but they failed to register even a single victory. As a result, the national team were knocked out of the competition at the group stages. Prior to the tournament, Ivory Coast were seen as having a great chance of at least reaching the semifinals. They were in a group containing Monaco, Congo, and Togo. Yet, the team only managed two points from the three games.
Dussuyer took charge of the national team only 18 months ago. He was already faced with the burden of leading the national team to defend the title that they won in Equatorial Guinea 2015. Ivory Coast finally managed to end years of pain by lifting the title by beating Ghana on penalties in the final.
Ivory Coast will not only begin the process of finding the new manager, but they will also have to find new players who will be able to live up to the quality provided by names like Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba. The lack of the golden generation has certainly been a major factor behind Ivory Coast’s disappointing tournament.
“The decision came after consultation with the federation. We thank him for his work, as well as his humanity, professionalism, humility and discretion.The federation would like to reassure the public that measures are in place to find his replacement,” read a statement from Ivory Coast’s Football Federation. The Frenchman had a lot of success in terms of coaching African teams, as he was previously involved with the likes of Guinea and Benin. The 57-year-old’s next plan has not been revealed, but he is likely to continue in African football.