In the midst of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the world of football in general invites the warring parties to make peace. The efforts of football players to bring peace are not new. One of the football players who is also a figure of peace is Didier Drogba. Didier Yves Drogba Tebily or Didier Drogba will always be remembered by his country and the world not only as a great football player. Drogba, who in 2012 won the European Champions League with Chelsea, was also a figure who was able to reconcile the two opposing camps in Ivory Coast.
This is the story of Drogba, the ferocious striker who became a peacemaker for the Ivory Coast in the midst of the civil war that raged in the African country. On October 8, 2005, Ivory Coast struggled to qualify for the country’s first World Cup. After beating Sudan, Ivory Coast waited anxiously to see if Cameroon failed to win over Egypt. This scenario will make Ivory Coast’s dream come true. At 1-1, Cameroon were awarded a penalty in extra time. It looks like Ivory Coast will be absent from football’s biggest tournament once again. However, the efforts of Pierre Wome, Cameroon’s players failed so that Ivory Coast qualified for the World Cup. Not surprisingly, the Ivory Coast team celebrated with great joy. But Ivory Coast’s key player Didier Drogba quickly turned his attention to the civil war that has raged in his homeland since 2002.
In an impassioned speech after the victory over Sudan, Drogba said, “Ivory Coast men and women. From the north, south, center and west, we proved today that all Ivorian people can live side by side and play together with the same goal: to qualify for the World Cup.”The players then dropped to their knees as Drogba added, “A country in Africa with so much wealth must not fall into war. Please lay down your guns and hold elections.” After the speech, the players got up and sang: “We want to have fun, so stop shooting your guns!” Drogba’s call for peace sparked dramatic change in Ivory Coast. Video clips of his speeches were played day and night on Ivory Coast television and finally succeeded in bringing the two warring parties to the negotiating table, where a ceasefire was signed.
Drogba’s peaceful demonstration has not ended after the video of the viral call for peace. A year after Ivory Coast’s qualification for the World Cup for the first time, Drogba announced that the Ivory Coast national team’s match against Madagascar on 3 June 2007 will be played in the rebel stronghold of Bouake in northern Ivory Coast. Drogba hails from the south of Ivory Coast. Drogba’s efforts are for the sake of further uniting the nation. The player who played for Chelsea in the Premier League scored Ivory Coast’s final goal in a 5-0 win over Madagascar. This victory made the entire Ivory Coast dissolve in euphoria. Didier Drogba, as captain and spokesman for the national team has helped bring peace to his country, albeit temporarily.
Five years later, violence erupted again in Ivory Coast over an election dispute, which resulted in the arrest of the country’s president and his trial for crimes against humanity. However, it is important that we never forget how Drogba and his Ivory Coast team-mates gave hope to the country during its darkest period.
Didier Drogba is rightly regarded as one of the greatest African footballers of all time. His achievements on the gridiron are undeniable. In the 2006-2007 and 2009-2010 seasons he was the top scorer in the Premier League. On 19 May 2012 he led Chelsea to victory in the first UEFA Champions League in the club’s history. In 2012 he was named the best footballer in Chelsea history by a fan poll conducted by the club’s official magazine. Drogba is the record goalscorer (35 goals) with a Chelsea shirt in UEFA club competitions. Truly, Drogba is a champion on and off the football pitch. Thank you, Drogba.
ASL
