France, Feb. 12 -- Squillions of West African CFAs later, the partisans got their bread at the circus on a sultry Sunday night 20 or so kilometres to the north of central Abidjan.

Cote d'Ivoire added a third Africa Cup of Nations trophy to the conquests of 1992 and 2015 amid the delirium at the Stade Alassane Ouattara and joy transporting the rest of the land.

The 82-year-old president who munficiently gave his name to the whitening elephant just outside the metropolis will receive the heroes of Cup of Nations 2023 at a lavish celebration following a parade of the trophy through Abidjan.

A one-day national holiday on Monday will likely test the contours of the space/time continuum.

And the players deserve such largesse for their menta...