Uzocacisa ukuthi sizoshuba kangakanani isimo kuGroup A umdlalo wokuvula i-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) phakathi kosokhaya, i-Ivory Coast, neGuinnea-Bissau.
Lo mdlalo ozoqala ngo-10 ngoMgqibelo uzobanjelwa e-Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara, e-Embipe, e-Abidjan.
Akungatshazwa ukuthi i-Elephants izongena ithwelwe ngeqoma ngenxa yomlando wayo ebholeni lase-Afrika, nohlobo lwabadlali elibophele eqenjini layo.
Nokho, imidlalo yakamuva yokuhlungela i-Afcon neNdebe yoMhlaba ikhombisile ukuthi liya ngokuya lehla igebe phakathi kwamazwe aleli zwekazi athathwa njengosondonzima nalawo angenawo umlando otheni.
Iqembu lasekhaya, elicijwa nguJean-Louis Gasset waseFrance, libophele abadlali abagijima kumaligi aphezulu emhlabeni njengoSebastian Haller, Seko Fofana, Nicolas Pepe, ukaputeni uSerge Aurier nabanye.
Ijoka elisemahlombe abo wukuba iqembu lesishiyagalolunye ukudla isicoco se-Afcon ekhaya. Amaqembu asekwenzile lokho phambilini yiGhana (kabili), Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan neNingizimu Afrika.
Okwesibili i-Ivory Coast isingatha lo mqhudelwano. Ngesikhathi iqala ngo-1984 yahluleka ukudlula esigabeni samaqoqo. I-Elephants isiyinqobe kabili i-Afcon, ngo-1992 eSenegal, nango–2015 e-Equatorial Guinea.
UGasset uthe bayayazi ingcindezi abazobhekana nayo kodwa futhi bahlose ukusebenzisa umfutho abazowuthola kubalandeli njengoba bezobe besekhaya.
"Sizojabulela ukwesekwa yisizwe sonke, okuyinto eyigugu kakhulu. Isigaba samaqoqo sizoba yinselelo enkulu kodwa sikubheke ngabomvu ukudlala phambi kwabalandeli bethu," kusho uGasset kwi-website iVoaAfrica.
IGuinea-Bissau izobe idlala okwesine kwi-Afcon. Ayikaze idlule esigabeni samaqoqo kule miqhudelwano emithathu esiyidlalile.
Amathemba ayo azobe elele kuMama Balde, odlalela i-Olympique Lyonnais yaseFrance, kanjalo noZinho Gano, ogijima kwiZulte Waregem yaseBelgium.
UGano ushayele izwe lakhe amagoli amane emidlalweni yokuhlungela i-Afcon. Uthe ukubheke ngabomvu ukudlala kuleli qoqo elihlanganisa iNigeria ne-Equatorial Guinea.
“Siyazi ukuthi lawa ngamazwe amakhulu kakhulu kodwa leli yithuba lethu lokubonisa ukuthi nathi sikhona," usho kanje exoxa neCafOnline.
"Inhloso yami ukushayela izwe lami inqwaba yamagoli. Ngiyethemba ukuthi ngizolishaya igoli emdlalweni wokuvula ne-Ivory Coast, kungaba kuhle lokho."