Twenty-two Ivorian coaches earned the CAF A licence after completing the country’s first high-level training in a decade, ending a long elite coaching hiatus.
The graduates were confirmed by the National Technical Directorate (DTN) after a programme that lasted at least six weeks, mixing theoretical tactical lessons with practical field assessments. They were selected from an initial group of 25 trainees.
Degré Arnaud Koré, speaking on behalf of the cohort, praised the infrastructure provided by the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) during the closing ceremony on Friday, August 28, 2026.
FIF president Yacine Idriss Diallo, who closed the session, stressed the importance of the moment. “Ten years without training means two, three, or even four generations of young people we risk losing,” he said.
The CAF A licence allows the new graduates to work as coaches at international level, a qualification that had been out of reach for local technicians for a full decade.
The evaluation jury was led by National Technical Director Lounis Hattab, with support from former Ivorian football figures Alain Gouaméné, Sébastien Bannier, Koné Tiègbè, and Haïdara Soualiho.
The training aligns with the DTN’s requirements for the Club Licence, which is being introduced to modernise Ligue 1. The new coaches are already expected to pursue the Professional Licence in the future, according to the federation.
Diallo also linked the quality of coaching to the future of the country’s youth academies. “When a coach is well trained, he has the necessary skills to properly take charge of young players,” he said.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, the FIF president visited the renovation site of the Technical Football Center in Bingerville.
Source: Côte d’Ivoire : 22 entraîneurs décrochent la licence A CAF