AFCON 2023: Cote d’Ivoire government declares public holiday ahead of Nigeria clash

Cote d’Ivoire have the home advantage ahead of the cracker against Nigeria, and the government wants to ensure that the fans fill up the stadium

The Ivorian government has ordered all schools in the country to be closed on January 18 because of their game against Nigeria at Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nigeria take on Cote d’Ivoire in their second game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. Because of the kind of quality players that both countries possess, the game is expected to be a tough one. However, Cote d’Ivoire are slight favourites because of Nigeria’s poor form recently. Also, the Elephants will have the support of the 12th man – the fans.

The Alassane Ouattara Stadium can accommodate over 60,000 fans, and for sure, at least 50,000 of those fans will be Ivorian fans, as tickets for the game had already been sold out days before the tournament started.

The Stadium is at the capital, Abidjan, and according to Nigeria Info, ahead of the game on Thursday evening, the Ivorian government has ordered all schools to be closed. Also, they have ordered all civil servants to close by noon.

This is aimed at aiding movement and helping fans reach the Stadium to support the team. The game is set to kick off at 6 PM Nigerian time and 5 PM Ivorian time.