September 15: Members of the Ivorian football federation have re-nominated Yacine Idriss Diallo for a second four-year term following elections in Yamoussoukro.
Diallo, who was elected for the first time in 2022, beating off a challenge from FIFA’s preferred candidate Didier Drogba, was elected undisputedly. In his second term he has pledged to focus on improving the club game in the country and to organize a conference to discuss the challenges of Ivorian football.
As part of his election manifesto, Diallo said the federation will increase subsidies to clubs. This means that the funding of Ligue 1 clubs will increase from 100 to 140 million CFP francs ($1.35 million) a year, and that of Ligue 2 clubs from 50 to 70 million CFP francs ($652,000).
Highlighting sustainability, he said: “One of the pillars is to strengthen the capacity of our clubs to manage themselves better and generate new resources so that in 2030 these clubs stop depending exclusively on subsidies, and these only represent a part of their resources”.
Diallo took over as head of the federation, previously vice president, after a period of crisis that saw FIFA impose a Normalization Committee in 2020.
Under Diallo’s presidency, the country hosted and won the 2024 AFCON, defeating Nigeria 2–1 in the final. The country also qualified for the 2026 World Cup for the first time since 2014, crashing out of the group stage before losing to Norway 2-1 in the round of 16.
Diallo, 65, co-founded the Amadou Diallo football academy in Djékanou and was vice-president of Asec Mimosas from 1984 to 2002.
Within the Ivorian federation he has been an ever-present, becoming 3rd vice-president in 2002, in charge of the Marketing and Promotion commission.
Contact the writer of this story at paul.nicholson@insideworldfootball.com
