African Sports Monthly Mar, 2015 | Page 44

The young International in a reflective mood before
a Match

ASM: While coming to the tournament, which were
the teams you or those you know were tipping as
top favourites?
Cheick Tioté: To me every qualified team was a
favourite that was why they came to the competition.
Remember 51 teams entered the qualification phase
and only 16 made it to the finals and they were the best.
However, I heard people tipping Algeria, Cameroon and
Ghana to win the trophy.
ASM: Your team Ivory Coast eventually won the title.
What made the difference from the previous
editions?
Cheick Tioté: I think first of all we have to thank our
coach Herve Renard, who was able to raise a new and
competitive squad to his taste within a short period of
time. He was able to inculcate his vision to every player
and also the utmost desire to win at all cost.
Secondly, after a number of failures in the past, we the
players were determined to win something this time to