African focus on Elephants' task (16 Dec 2005 03:33 GMT)
There are no prizes for guessing what was the talk of the African press after the groups were drawn in Leipzig for next summer's FIFA World Cup: Ivory Coast's presence alongside Argentina, Serbia and Montenegro and the Netherlands in Group C.
"Elephants in group of death!" was the simple yet succinct lead headline of the Ivory Coast daily Le Nouveau Réveil in the wake of the Final Draw. "An extremely difficult group... a baptism of fire," it continued.
Ivory Coast play their first-ever FIFA World Cup match on 10 June against the giants of Argentina - a baptism of fire in anyone's book - and L'intelligent d'Abidjan was quick to point out that the fixture would pit Chelsea team-mates Didier Drogba and Hernan Crespo against each other. The newspaper reminded its readers that Drogba's arrival in London was the catalyst for Crespo's exile at AC Milan last season.
"The Argentine has never accepted the way the Blues marginalised him to accommodate Drogba, and here he will have the opportunity to silence his detractors," the paper said. Indeed, this 'match within a match' was highlighted by most African journalists, who appear obsessed with predicting which of the Stamford Bridge strikers will prevail.
Despite the Ivorians' difficult draw, the African media remain characteristically upbeat about their chances. Many are convinced that Ivory Coast will still qualify, with Fraternité Matin taking a typical view as it said: "If the Elephants have reached this level, it is because they are a good side."
source : FIFA