The draw for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Côte d’Ivoire 2023 was successfully conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday evening, presenting us with interesting fixtures to enjoy in the qualifiers towards the main tournament slated for next year.
The draw, which took place in the studios of Supersports, was conducted by South Africa legendary defender Lucas Radebe and ex Côte d’Ivoire forward Solomon Kalou. The two African football legends took the chance to assess the chances of their respective countries in winning the title, and Kalou believes that the home fans could be a major factor to assist the hosts to annex the trophy for the third time in their history.
South African famous sports journalist Thomas Mlambo, who was the moderator at the draw on Tuesday, asked Kalou of his opinions on the chances of Ivory Coast winning the AFCON as hosts, and the former Chelsea forward responded with high optimism.
“Always [the home fans make a difference]. You know when you play at home you get extra power and I think Lucas [Radebe] can say that because the first time they [South Africans] played here [in South Africa in 1996 as hosts] they won. So I think they [the Ivorian national team] are still a young team, they are looking for the mark. We have to find the balance between the old player and the new player, and I think we have a chance to win”, Kakou said during the draw.
Asked how it feels to be the hosts of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Solomon Kalou expressed satisfaction about that, describing his country as that of a hospitable place looking forward to welcoming all qualified nations.
“It feels great (to be the hosts), I think we are a country of hospitality so we are waiting to receive all our brothers from all other countries, and I think it’s going to be fun because Ivorians love football and we want to stick to that competition so everybody can have fun”, he said.
The hosts Côte d’Ivoire are drawn in Group H with Zambia, Comoros and Lesotho. Only one team will qualify from this group, alongside the hosts, who have qualified already as hosts.
