AFCON 2023: Host Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana Sack Coaches

2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosts Cote d’Ivoire have sacked Coach Jean-Louis Gasset midway through the tournament, the country’s football federation (FIF) announced on Wednesday.

“The contracts of coach Jean-Louis Gasset and his assistant Ghislain Printant are terminated due to insufficient results,” the FIF said in a statement.

The Ivorians anxiously waited to see whether they will be able to continue at their own tournament after a shocking defeat in their last group stage match against Equatorial Guinea.

Equatorial Guinea, a country of only 1.6 million people and with a motley team composed mainly of players from the lower leagues in Spain, upset the Ivorians 4-0 on Monday in the heaviest defeat ever suffered by a host nation.

It was a humiliating loss that left the Ivorians, jeered off by their own supporters, third in Group A and now waiting to see whether they will qualify for the last 16.

In a related development, Chris Hughton has been fired as coach of Ghana’s Black Stars after their elimination from the AFCON 2023 was confirmed, the country’s football association said in a statement.

Ghana finished third in Group B at the tournament in the Ivory Coast after a 2-2 draw with Mozambique on Monday and any outside hope they had of a place in the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed finishers ended on Tuesday with results in Groups C and D.

“The Ghana Football Association wishes to announce that Chris Hughton has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the senior national team with immediate effect. The Executive Council has also taken a decision to dissolve the technical team of the Black Stars,” said a statement.

“The Ghana Football Association will in the coming days provide a roadmap on the future direction of the Black Stars,” it added.

Hughton, whose father hailed from Ghana, had taken over as coach in March, having earlier served as technical advisor to the team at the last World Cup in Qatar.

The 65-year-old former manager of Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United won four of his 13 matches in charge and had already been under pressure going into the Cup of Nations finals when Ghana lost away to the small Comoros Islands in a World Cup qualifier in November.