“There’s no such thing as a friendly match”: Hervé Renard warns ahead of the Cameroon v Ivory Coast clash

The Elephants face the Indomitable Lions this Saturday, 3 October, in an international friendly at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium in Abidjan.

With kick-off scheduled for 7 pm GMT, Ivory Coast manager Hervé Renard spoke of the importance of this clash. The French manager reflected on his last encounter with Cameroon.

“My last match against Cameroon with Ivory Coast was back in 2015, and we won 1–0. Those are very fond memories, because after that victory, we went on to reach the quarter-finals before winning the Cup,” recalled Hervé Renard, referring to the Elephants’ triumph at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Although the match on 3 October is a friendly, Hervé Renard was keen to warn his players against letting their guard down. He emphasised the symbolic importance of this match for the Ivorian public.

“I’ve already told my players that there’s no such thing as a friendly match for the national team, especially against Cameroon, because we’re representing the country. The public will be turning out in force for this match, so we must respect that.”