Sol Bamba hopes hosts have what it takes to win Africa Cup of Nations
Sol Bamba played in the 2012 final for this year’s hosts, Ivory Coast. (Kieran Cleeves/PA)
Former Ivory Coast star Sol Bamba admits the Africa Cup of Nations hosts need to prove their worth.
The ex-Cardiff and Leeds defender believes the team have fallen short at the tournament too many times.
The hosts, who open the tournament against Guinea-Bissau in Abidjan on Saturday, have only won the competition twice, the last coming in 2015.
Final defeats in 2008 and 2012, with Bamba playing in their penalty loss to Zambia 12 years ago, still hurt and the 38-year-old knows it is time for the squad to step up.
Sol Bamba played in the 2012 final for Ivory Coast. (Richard Sellers/PA)
“Have we done enough? We know we haven’t because we should have won at least two more Africa Cup of Nations, definitely,” he told the PA news agency.
“Losing in 2012 was huge because we hadn’t won it since 1992. So we were absolutely desperate.
“We had what people called a golden generation with top players. We went as favourites, didn’t concede a goal and we ended up losing. The disappointment was absolutely huge. We talk about it between ourselves, we felt we missed a trick.
“Now we have top players playing in Europe but the difference of handling pressure in Europe and hosting a tournament in Africa is different.
“The expectation will be huge. In Africa it’s more than football. The first game will be massive. For Ivory Coast, though, winning games is not enough, you have to play a certain way.”
Manager Jean-Louis Gasset has omitted Galatasaray’s Wilfried Zaha for the tournament and Bamba hopes he does not regret the decision.
Galatasaray’s Wilfried Zaha is not in the Ivory Coast squad. (Martin Rickett/PA)
“It’s controversial because he’s a top
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