Official match ball unveiled for AFCON 2023
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and PUMA have unveiled “POKOU” as the official match ball for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
The ball is named after Ivorian legendary forward Laurent Pokou, who holds the record for most goals scored in a single Africa Cup of Nations match with five against Ethiopia in the 1970 edition of the tournament.
The unveiling of the ball is a milestone in the countdown to the kick-off of the tournament, which will take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024 in the cities of Abidjan, Bouake, Korhogo, San Pedro, and Yamoussoukro.
The POKOU ball features the three main colors of the Cote d’Ivoire flag – white, orange, and green – and incorporates the latest technology that will revolutionize the game on the continent and beyond.
Erwan, a son of the late Pokou, presented the ball to the audience during the final draw for the tournament. He said that it was a great honor for his family to have the official match ball named after his father.
“This is an emotional moment for my family,” Erwan said.
“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.”
Pokou is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of Ivorian football.
He is nicknamed “L’homme d’Asmara” after his outstanding performance in the 1970 Africa Cup of Nations, which was held in the Ethiopian capital.
Pokou made his debut for the Ivorian national team in 1967 and went on to become the top scorer in the 1968 and 1970 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
He scored 14 goals in the Africa Cup of Nations, which was a tournament record until 2008 when it was broken by Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon.
Pokou also played for the Ivorian club giants ASEC Mimosas and the French clubs Stade Rennes and Nancy. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 69.
The POKOU ball is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest Ivorian footballers of all time.
It is a symbol of the passion and excitement that the people of Cote d’Ivoire have for the game of football.
