Didier Drogba, Idriss Yacine Diallo and Sory Diabate, the three candidates for the election of the presidency of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) have stated their vision through televised debates and on the Internet.
The former international footballer Didier Drogba, Idriss Yacine Diallo and Sory Diabate are making the last turn before the election scheduled for Saturday, April 23, 2022.
The businessman, Idriss Yacine Diallo, wants to bring together to develop Ivorian football while making club presidents, decision-making partners. For better governance, he wants to set up a supervisory committee.
If elected, he plans to recruit two coaches for the national team, mobilize a pool of investors and sponsors, set a SMIG (guaranteed minimum wage) for players, and project Ivorian soccer to 2030.
“I saw a candidate speak first to 81 voters before making known his vision to all Ivorians,” one of his fans on social networks said.
The former international footballer, president of the list “Renaissance,” Didier Drogba, promises “a new era” of Ivorian soccer, at the launch of his campaign, ensuring that he has “every chance to win this election.”
The candidacy of the former Chelsea star striker is carried by the popular fervor, but this is not enough to win, it must convince the majority of 81 voters, who decide the candidates on 23 April 2022 in Yamoussoukro.
“Modern soccer: It’s money…Whoever tells you about other things…He lies. If it is to attract money in Ivorian soccer, there is only one winner: his name is Didier Drogba,” a user said.
“Other candidates may come with resources but the economic pull of Didier Drogba has no equal in our country,” he wrote, before adding that the former international footballer already has major brands of world renown accompanying him.
Sory Diabate, one of the members of the outgoing team says he is working “for the greatness of Ivorian football.” He intends to cooperate with the State of Cote d’Ivoire to allow a better treatment of athletes and ensure the influence of the sector. Mr. Diabate plans a budget of 12 billion per year over the four years of the mandate, which makes a budget of 48 billion.
Some candidates are “in a story of calculation-State,” a user laments, citing Mr. Sory “I promise 500,000 CFA francs to 20 players of League 1 as a monthly salary but I will see the State to see how to pay. According to my calculations it will cost the taxpayer five billion 480 million per year over 10 years.”
A few hours before the vote scheduled for Saturday, April 23 in Yamoussoukro, Ivorian football fans are worried about another postponement on the horizon. One can read on social networks “that a letter has left the FIF for the Confederation of African Football (Caf) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) requesting the postponement of elections on the grounds that it must first complete the investigations of morality. But this information is denied by a person close to the president of the Conor (Normalisation Committee).
Absent Wednesday evening, on the set of RTI 1, the national television, for a debate between the three candidates, Mr. Didier Drogba, according to the journalist, said his staff canceled his appearance five minutes before the show.
His campaign team reports that Drogba has committed his schedule to several points and the dates offered to him on TV platforms overlap with some appointments already made and confirmed.
AP/ls/cgd/fss/abj/APA