Ivory Coast confirm Bafana friendly

Ivory Coast have canceled a scheduled November 11 friendly match against Cameroon, opting for South Africa deemed a more solid opposition ahead of preparations for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

The Elephants’ coach Francois Zahoui told state television RTI 1 on Saturday that he would no longer play friendly games against “second zone” teams due to the counterproductive effects his side had incurred from past experience.

“I have bad memories of the friendly against Mali, where we had several players wounded. Some games that we delivered were nothing as friendly. I don’t want to go to the finals of the 2012 Afcon with injured players,” he said.

Zahoui however said the decision was reached by the FA’s new executive committee, which has vowed to leave no stone unturned to win next year’s showpiece.

No date was given for the encounter against the Bafana Bafana, but Zahoui confirmed it would hold in the month of November.

“The teams we played in the past had more to gain meeting us than we playing against them. It will no longer be like that,” Zahoui said.

Cote D’Ivoire, who have already booked their place for the 2012 Afcon, will play their final qualifying game against Burundi on Sunday in Abidjan.



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