AFCON 2023 supporters' committee: CNSE and Cocan at loggerheads

They are at daggers drawn. On one side is the National Committee of Supporters of the Elephants (CNSE), led by Adonis Kouadio; on the other, Marius Koudou, head of the mobilisation commission of Cocan. The CNSE, attached to the Ministry of Sports and present at every AFCON, and the CMC will never be holidaying together. Proof of that: since Koudou's structure was set up, not a single ceremony has seen both bodies present at the same time. The launch of the Cocan version of the supporters' mobilisation on 18 July 2023 in Abidjan took place without the CMC. A few days later, in the seaside town of Bassam, 14 km from Abidjan, at the seminar on the AFCON legacy run by the Ministry of Sports, the CNSE was conspicuous by its absence.

This prompted a public reaction from the president of the Ivorian Football Federation. "I don't know why Cocan is absent here when we are talking about mobilisation. We must not do things separately. The mobilisation committee and the committee supporting the Elephants must work hand in hand so that the mobilisation of Ivorians is total for this home AFCON" Idriss Diallo said angrily.

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The sinews of war

Nobody admits it publicly, but money is what divides all these parties. Mobilising and looking after supporters requires substantial resources. So each side wants to claim the right to manage the funds for this group during the Africa Cup of Nations, without saying so officially. Danho Paulin's Ministry of Sports and François Amichia's Cocan are both eyeing this windfall because in Ivory Coast, during international football competitions (AFCON and the World Cup), supporters are fully looked after. Ministry officials provide absolutely everything free of charge, from logistics to per diems, as well as accommodation and transport. "I have already drawn up my budget. I am now going to go before Cocan's Executive Committee for approval. On that occasion, I will also present the broad outline of our mobilisation project. I can't say more for now, but it is after this oral presentation that I will get my budget" Marius Koudou explained when questioned by SNA on Thursday 27 July 2023.

"Mobilisation requires substantial resources, but I am confident in our project. I was appointed on 1 June 2023. Today, I would say it has been two months. We are operating on a shoestring, but from 1 August we will genuinely launch our mobilisation plan. You will be informed. Don't worry" he reassured.

The CNSE is looking for cash

For its part, the CNSE has already sounded the call for mobilisation with the help of former Ivorian internationals (African champions in 1992 and 2015). Better still, Adonis Kouadio is signing a growing number of partnership deals with local companies to secure funds on top of the resources the State will make available through the Ministry of Sports. "We are going to travel through every town to rally support. It requires substantial resources, but with the backing of the State and all the partnerships we are forging, we have faith" said Adonis Kouadio, head of the CNSE.

"We are obliged to look for additional resources because our budget is huge and what the State gives cannot cover all our needs" admits Coulibaly Sehenan, a CNSE member. The growing number of requests for State support from the CNSE and the CMC recently prompted the Prime Minister to speak out. "For Patrick Achi, head of the Ivorian government, there is no question of the CMC receiving any financial support outside the Cocan budget, because its remit must be limited to the atmosphere in the stands, while the CNSE is tasked with touring the country to bring Ivorians together around the AFCON" a ministerial source, irritated by the requests for funds from all quarters, told us.

Sanh Séverin