President of La Côte d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara has expressed gratitude to Ghana over the recently-held Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in his country.
The tournament, held from Saturday, January 13 to Sunday, February 11, saw the Elephants beating the Super Eagles of Nigeria by 2-1 to annex the trophy, the third in the history of the competition for the hosts.
The 34th edition of the continental showpiece has been regarded as the best so far in its history.
Addressing the 67th Independence Day anniversary of Ghana as the Special Guest of Honour on Wednesday, March 6, President Ouattara thanked Ghana for contributing to the success of the competition.
He said the win makes his country the indisputable champions of Africa and that was replicated on Tuesday, March 5, when Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas beat Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko 2-1 to win the GHALCA President’s Cup at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
“Notwithstanding, we are still friends,” President Ouattara stated at the Koforidua Youth Resource Center.
Responding to the Special Guest’s remarks, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was speaking on the theme: ‘Our Democracy, Our Pride’, congratulated his colleague President and the people of Ivory Coast for a successful tournament.
“ASEC’s victory over Kotoko is in the same direction,” President Akufo-Addo stated.
“Congratulations to you, to Cote d’Ivoire and to the Elephants. As we all saw, the year began with the victory of the Elephants,” he added in jest.
Ghana’s Black Stars had a disappointing tournament with the four-time champions exiting at the group stage.
“I am afraid that, over here in Ghana, this is a competition we would much rather not remember or even talk about, but Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are good neighbours, and we cannot begrudge your excellent performance, and learn from the many lessons that AFCON 2023 has to teach.”
