Africa Sports president Kuyo Téa Narcisse: "Hage wasn't my priority"

On the sidelines of a partnership signing in Abidjan, Africa Sports president Kuyo Téa Narcisse spoke to Orange Sports. He explained why Noël Tosi was sacked and went over the club's objectives.

Why sack Noël Tosi, whose qualities you were praising on 1 September 2022?

Noël Tosi is a great coach, with the level of France's Ligue 1. I got to know him in 1984 in France, when I was doing my coaching course alongside coaches like Ivorian François Zahoui and others. We are practically from the same intake. I'm not questioning his qualities as a coach, but the objective I set him when I hired him was not met. You can marry a beautiful woman and divorce because she isn't what you expected.

So it was poor results that got him shown the door?

After four matchdays, we are three points off the leader. My instinct told me we had to change coach to bounce back. I couldn't wait ten matchdays to react. It could prove too late. I hope Tosi succeeds elsewhere, but I want to be in Ligue 1. I know this world; I've been champion of Côte d'Ivoire three times in the past.

What swung it for Hage, the new coach of the Aiglons, who has just won two matches in a row?

Hage wasn't my priority, but he was recommended to us. He has a good pedigree and he is experienced. I wanted Zahoui because he knows the club and he knows Ivorian football. But he had demands I couldn't match. He is more focused on a project to coach a national team. There was also the Italian Toto Nobile, with whom we were champions in 2007-2008 and in 2010-2011, who would have been delighted at the idea of coming back. But in the end we opted for Hage Mohamed Ait- Hida and we are satisfied.

Today, Africa is a target of mockery and nothing is really taking off, even though this club has two Cup Winners' Cups and one African Super Cup to its name. What exactly is the problem?

Africa has been pushed into the depths. I hold nothing against anyone. Getting the team out of this bad patch isn't just about winning a match and taking three points. We need to restore the players’ mental strength, and we need to stick together. Today, the players live on what I call allowances, not even salaries, because I don't call these crumbs a salary. We have to get out of all this. It may take a year or more, but we will get back on our feet.

How do you intend to get this legendary club back on its feet?

You can't run sport today the way you did 40 years ago. New ideas are needed, and this kind of partnership (with a financial firm, editor's note) is part of that way of managing. We must create events and surprises. I've heard people say we are heading for the 3rd Division. I laughed. We will be in the 1st division before long. We are working towards that. We are thinking things through. We must stand together. I thank our partner. We will make sure they have nothing to be ashamed of. If we want Ivorian football to develop, there is a lot to do.

By Sanh Séverin