Deep down, the passion for football, present in his genes, was still alive. Inextinguishable. Even if his adventure in Bordeaux had ended prematurely in a fishtail, in the summer of 2021, he was not ready to say stop. He had, moreover, recently confided in relatives. It is therefore everything, except a coincidence, if Jean-Louis Gasset is about to return to service. Unless there is an unlikely change, he will be appointed, in the next few hours this Friday, coach of Côte d’Ivoire. Currently at home in the Hérault, he will then go to Abidjan to sign, according to our information, a two-year contract. For 48 hours already, everything was practically settled between the two parties.
At 68, former assistant Laurent Blanc in Bordeaux (2007-2010), in the France team (2010-2012), then at PSG (2013-2016) will replace another Frenchman, Patrice Beaumelle, with a clearly identified objective: lift a 3rd African Cup of Nations (after the successes of 1992 and 2015) in just over a year, on July 23, 2023 in… Abidjan. As host country, Côte d’Ivoire, absent from the World Cup in Qatar, will have no room for error after its sad exit in the round of 16 of the 2022 edition.
A unifying technician close to the players
This challenge, in a local context conducive to mistrust, is not likely to put Gasset off. This tough man, adept at possession, forward-looking, has had enough experience to chart his course, impervious to the external environment. The relationship with the players is, therefore, one of its primary qualities. He plays a lot on the human aspect, on the sensitivity and will have to work to restore the etiolated confidence of the partners of Nicolas Pépé (Arsenal). From everywhere he went, as number 1 (Montpellier, Saint-Étienne or Bordeaux) or 2, he reflected the image of a coach skilled in finding the right words, with a unifying speech, well perceived and accepted. of the greatest number. He will be able to rely in his mission, as announced by the Team, on the former international Emerse Fae (44 selections with the Elephants) currently in charge of the Clermont Foot reserve, in National 3.
Worn, in April 2022, to the presidency of the Ivorian Federation, Idriss Diallo clearly favored the experience of the technician with the eternal cap. Other names had circulated starting with that of Antoine Kombouaré. But the latter, recent winner of the Coupe de France with Nantes, will continue the adventure with the Canaries.