BREAKING NEWS: Ivory Coast, the hosts of the Africa Cup of Nations, have dismissed manager Jean-Louis Gasset following a humiliating defeat to Equatorial Guinea.

Ivory Coast, the host nation for the Africa Cup of Nations, has officially announced the dismissal of coach Jean-Louis Gasset, even though their chances in the tournament are still ongoing.

The Ivory Coast Football Federation (FIF) has decided to terminate the contracts of the national team coach, Jean Louis Gasset, and his assistant, Ghislain Marie Joseph, following disappointing results in the ongoing competition. The decision was announced on Wednesday, just two days after Ivory Coast suffered a 4-0 defeat against Equatorial Guinea and a 1-0 loss to Nigeria in their group stage matches.

The statement from FIF mentioned that the termination was based on insufficient results, in line with the objectives outlined in the contracts that bound the coaching staff to the federation. Despite the team finishing third in their group with three points, Ivory Coast still has a chance to progress to the last 16. The top four third-placed teams from the group stage will advance, and as things stand, Ivory Coast is in contention.

The fate of Ivory Coast depends on the results of other matches. If Zambia loses to Morocco, Ivory Coast will secure a spot in the next round. Even if Zambia wins or draws, Ivory Coast can still progress if Namibia loses to Mali in Group E. Ivory Coast fans will have to wait until Wednesday to find out whether their team advances to the knockout stage.

If Ivory Coast makes it through, they are set to face reigning champions Senegal, who finished on top of Group C with three wins.