The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the official match ball for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The official match ball is named after Ivorian legendary forward Laurent Pokou.
The unveiling is yet another milestone in the countdown to the official kick-off of the competition.
Laurent Pokou, a legend of African football whose five goals in the 6-1 victory over Ethiopia at the 1970 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations remains a record during the final competition.
Laurent Pokou was also twice the highest goalscorer of the Africa Cup of Nations, scoring six goals in the 1968 tournament in Ethiopia and eight in the 1970 edition in Sudan.
Meanwhile, With 14 total goals, he is also the tournament’s second-highest overall goalscorer, behind Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, who eclipsed Pokou’s record in the 2008 ACN tournament with his 18th AFCON goals.
The official ball, POKOU, features the three main colors of the Cote d’Ivoire flag—white, orange, and green—while incorporating the latest technology that will revolutionize the game on the continent and beyond.
The 2023 AFCON will run from January 13 to February 11, 2024, in the cities of Abidjan, Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro, and Yamoussoukro.
Host Cote d’Ivoire will take on the Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau in the opening fixture at the Alhassan Quattara Stadium, Ebimpe, on January 13.
Erwan, a son of the late Pokou, presented the iconic and beautifully designed match ball to the audience during the Final Draw.
“This is an emotional moment for my family. It is a great honour bestowed on my late father who gave his life to Ivorian football, to have the official match ball for a tournament taking place in no other place than Cote d’Ivoire named after him.
“The family appreciates the efforts by CAF and the Local Organising Committee (COCAN) to celebrate heroes and heroines to motivate and inspire future generations to follow in their exemplary steps,” Erwan said.
Nicknamed L’homme d’Asmara, Pokou is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history in Ivorian football. It is in recognition of his contribution to football in the West African country, that one of the match venues for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 in San Pedro is christened Laurent Pokou Stadium.
A legend Ivorian of giants, ASEC Mimosas, Pokou also had stints with French sides, Stade Rennes and Nancy. He passed away on 13 November 2016 aged 69.
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