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Published on 19/03/2024 at 15:44 | Updated on 19/03/2024 at 18:19
The Ivorian U-23 team will play for the last time this Wednesday in the box of La Châtre. © (Photo n°)
The Parc des Sports de La Châtre has been launched at the moment of football by welcoming the Ivorian U-23 team that will face Thierry Henry’s France team, on Friday, March 22, in Gaston-Petit.
In L’Châtre, almost twenty years ago, football fans, still fans of prestigious professional clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, went to the Parc des Sports to prepare.
The air of La Vallée Noire inspires footballers again and this time it is a national team that settles in Les Dryades in Pouligny-Notre-Dame. The status quo has been set aside through the French Football Federation to host the U-23 variety of Ivory. Costa will face Thierry Henry’s France on Friday at the Gaston-Petit stadium.
Abdoulaye Méité, former Marseille player, is in the Ivory Coast national team. © (Photo No. )
Arriving on Sunday afternoon, the Ivorians trained for the first time on Monday on the grass of the Parc des Sports. There we met with the technical director of the national team, who is none other than a call-up from Marseille football, Adloulaye Méïté. The 43-year-old former OL defender wore the OM shirt for six seasons before leaving for England. It is he who leads the team coached by a former Ivorian international, Boubacar Sanogo, former player of Kaiserlautern, Hamburg, Bremen (Germany) but also in France with the Greens of Saint-Etienne. “He has Lacina Dao, winner of the first Africa Cup of Nations in 1982, as his assistant,” said the coach. Asked about the composition of the Ivorian squad that will face the French in Friday, he said: “We have other under-23 players who play in the country, but here there are boys who play in European clubs. Only one plays for RC Abidjan, Valy Konaté. “
And Abdoulaye Méïté underlined the importance of a squad with players who already know Ligue 1. Mohamed Bamba, from Lorient, faced Monaco on Sunday. Bénie Traoré plays for Nantes, Luc Zogbé for Reims and young goalkeeper Yvann Konan for Lyon. “
> READ ALSO. Thierry Henry’s list
The opposition that opposes the French national team is not lacking in flavor, also believes the head of the delegation, Salif Bictogo, president of the Ivory Coast Professional League, who is very happy with the moves made in his country for young footballers. .
Our recent good fortune at the Africa Cup of Nations will allow us to bring more monetary resources to our former young players.
“In fact, what exists is a pricing organization. We know that education is vital and since 2022, after a ten-year hiatus, we are once again offering competitions for young people in Côte d’Ivoire. We have relaunched the U20 category and U-16 Championships. Our recent good fortune at the Africa Cup of Nations will allow us to bring more monetary resources to our former youngsters. “
In the meantime, he, like all the members of the delegation, will receive a reserved welcome in the Black Valley. The pitch is of top quality, the American club La Châtre supplies in terms of logistics and spectators attending the sessions. We haven’t done it yet, all is not lost, the Ivorians will train for the last time this Wednesday at five o’clock in the afternoon. in the Sports Park.
Thierry Henry’s Les Bleuets have been in store since Monday, March 18 in Clairefontaine. With a replenishment communicated last week.
With Georginio Rutter and Joris Chotard despite being unavailable, Thierry Henry called Lyon’s Ryan Cherki to update them while giving himself “time to think” about a possible reinforcement. The French will depart for Châteauroux on Thursday morning. After settling in at the Relais Saint-Jacques, they will train in the evening at Gaston-Petit (behind closed doors).
Goalkeepers: Lucas Chevalier (Lille), Guillaume Restes (Toulouse), Obed Nkambadio (Paris FC/L2). Defenders: Killian Sildillia (Freiburg/GER), Bafodé Diakité (Lille), Malo Gusto (Chelsea/ENG), Castello Lukeba (RB Leipzig/GER), Maxime Estève (Burnley FC/ENG), Lenny Yoro (Lille), Adrien Truffert (Rennes), Bradley Locko (Brest). Midfielders: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Andy Diouf (Lens), Désiré Doué (Rennes), Manu Koné (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Enzo Millot (Stuttgart/GER), Khephren Thuram (Nice), Ryan Cherki (Lyon). Forwards: Bradley Barcola (Paris-SG), Arnaud Kalimuendo (Rennes), Wilson Odobert (Burnley FC/ENG), Elye Wahi (Lens).