By Shereefdeen Ahmad
On October 8, 2005 at El Merreikh Stadium, Omdurman in Sudan, Ivory Coast dreamed of qualifying for their first ever World Cup.
To bring this to life, the Elephants of the Ivory Coast subjected Sudan to a 3-1 defeat. However, their hope and fate to book a spot in the biggest international tournament still lay over the match between Cameroon and Egypt, who were also playing on the day.
The Ivorians waited anxiously, hoping Cameroon did not secure a victory with 1-1 on the scoresheet. Without much ado, Cameroon was awarded a penalty at the stopped time, and at this point, it seemed Ivory Coast’s dream of qualifying for the World Cup would be aborted.
However, the reverse happened to be the case as Pierre Wome missed the decisive spot kick to earn the Elephants their first ever World Cup ticket.
With 20,000 spectators in the stadium, the Ivorians jubilated to the fullest. Just then, Chelsea legend Didier Drogba cast his mind back to the civil war that had been rooting the country since 2002.
According to the BBC, after securing the victory amidst the celebration, Didier Drogba said in an emotional speech, “Men and women of Ivory Coast. From the north, south, center, and west, we proved today that all Ivorians can coexist and play together with a shared aim – to qualify for the World Cup.
He continued: “We promised you that the celebrations would unite the people – today we beg you on our knees.
Then all the players fell on their knees as Drogba added: “The one country in Africa with so many riches must not descend into war. Please lay down your weapons and hold elections.”
After the moody speech, the players rose and chanted: “We want to have fun, so stop firing your guns!”
His action was said to have driven the country to a change. The video clip of the action had circulated widely on Ivory televisions, and subsequently the two sides of the country_ the north and the south_ who had been at loggerheads over rebels, sealed a deal to halt the war.
A year after the World Cup, Didier Drogba insisted that the national team’s game against Madagascar was to be played in the rebel’s pool, Bouake in the northern Ivory Coast. Drogba is from the south. His action was targeted at further strengthening the amiability of the two fighting sides.
And the match actually went well, with Didier Drogba wrapping up the scoring in a 5-0 victory against Madagascar.
The Civil War
On 19th September 2002, a complete mayhem broke out which divided Drogba’s homeland Ivory Coast into north and south. President Laurent Gbagbos’s was ruling the south, and a rebel team known as The New Forces of Ivory Coast, being headed by Guillaume Soro, took over the north.
There were serious attacks across various cities in the country, which claimed the lives of many.
Lamenting how awful the war was, an ex-footballer who fled Ivory Coast, Sebastian Gnahore, recalled,” it was awful. When I called my sister, I could hear the shooting outside the house. They all hid under the beds for four days, and only came out to find food.
Who is Didier Drogba?
Born on 11th March 1978, Didier Yves Drogba Tebily is a retired professional footballer and former captain of the Ivory Coast’s national team. He played as a striker and appeared to be the all-time top scorer for the Elephants.
Didier Drogba had recorded his name with a golden pen when playing for the Premier league side Chelsea. Named two times African Footballer of the Year_2006 and 2009_ he is the fourth highest goal scorer for the Blues.
In 2004, he led the Blues to their first Premier league title in 50 years, and eventually a year later won another Premier league title with them. Didier Drogba was also instrumental in Chelsea’s first ever UEFA champions league title, having scored an equalizer at the 88th minute , and a decisive spot kick in the shootout against Bayern Munich in the Champions league final, 2012.
With Drogba at the helm, the Ivory Coast took part in their first ever World Cup tournament in 2006. He was also among the squad that led the Ivory Coast to Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2006 and 2012. However, they were beaten on penalties in both games.
He announced his retirement from international football in 2014. And in 2018, Didier Drogba retired from professional football at the age 40.
Drogba restored peace but…
The Chelsea legend helped stop the five-year-old civil war that had raged the country, even though temporarily.
Because sadly afte five years, violence once again ensued in Ivory Coast following a manipulation of elections, which resulted in the arrest of the country’s president and he was charged for the offences of crimes against humanity.
Even at that, it’s worthy to note that Didier Drogba and his Ivorian teammates were instrumental in ending a five-year-old civil war which was unpredictable.