Wayne Lumbasi
Didier Drogba will go head-to-head with five other candidates in vying for the position of the Ivorian Football Federation president.
Mariam Dao Gabala, president of the FIF normalization committee, at a press conference named the candidates as Yatte Ellele Jean-Baptiste, Arnaud Aka, Laurent Kouakou, Idriss Diallo, Sory Diabate, and Didier Drogba.
Drogba believes he can improve the state of the game in the West African nation if he becomes the new boss of the country’s football federation (FIF).
Elections to appoint a president are set to be staged on April 23. The voting was originally scheduled to be carried out in September 2020, but has been repeatedly postponed because of ongoing issues over the eligibility of certain candidates, including Drogba.
The stalemate in the electoral process then prompted FIFA to place the body under a standardization committee, situation that has persisted ever since.
“My candidacy is that of unity. I want to stay in the momentum of the development of Ivorian football instilled by the Head of State 10 years ago. The delivery of Ivorian football is for April 23,” said the legend of African football after filing his documents.
If on the evening of April 23 I am elected president of the FIF, I will reach out to the two other candidates to work together. I am for the victory of the rebirth of Ivorian football”,he added.
Ivory Coast will host the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to be held in June and July next year.
