The Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny, nicknamed Le Félicia, is a multi-purpose stadium, which can host football, rugby union and

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

, in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

. It is the national stadium of the

Ivory Coast national football team The Ivory Coast national football team ( French: ''Équipe de football de Côte d'Ivoire'', recognized as the Côte d'Ivoire by FIFA) represents Ivory Coast in men's international football. Nicknamed ''the Elephants'', the team is managed by ...

. It is named after the first president of the country,

Félix Houphouët-Boigny Félix Houphouët-Boigny (; 18 October 1905 – 7 December 1993), affectionately called Papa Houphouët or Le Vieux ("The Old One"), was the first president of Ivory Coast, serving from 1960 until his death in 1993. A tribal chief, he wo ...

, and is located in the commune of

Le Plateau Le Plateau-Mont-Royal () is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Plateau-Mont-Royal takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mont-Royal and overlooking downtown Montreal, acros ...

. The stadium has a capacity of 50,000. It also hosts matches of ASEC Abidjan. It has been the site of several deadly stampedes.

History

Built in 1964 to organize the "Games of Abidjan", the stadium was formerly known as Stade Andre Geo, and it took the name of the President Felix Houphouet-Boigny after undergoing restoration. Gradually it emerged as the National Stadium, hosting the ASEC Mimosas and Ivorian Soccer Team. Along the Stadium of Peace of Bouake, Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny hosted Africa Cup of Nations soccer. In 2009 after a complete renovation, which included lawn seating and the treatment room, the stadium hosted the

2009 African Championship of Nations The 2009 African Nations Championship was the first edition of the African Nations Championship in football. The tournament took place in Ivory Coast from 22 February to 8 March 2009. Thirty countries attempted to qualify for the tournament. Qu ...

. The stadium was renovated for the

2017 Jeux de la Francophonie The 2017 Jeux de la Francophonie, also known as ''VIIIèmes Jeux de la Francophonie'' ( French for ''8th Francophone Games''), informally known as Abidjan 2017, took place in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, from July 21–30. This was the first edition of ...

. The stadium played host to

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

Human Rights Now! Human Rights Now! was a worldwide tour of twenty benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International that took place over six weeks in 1988. Held not to raise funds but to increase awareness of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on it ...

Benefit Concert on October 9, 1988. The show was headlined by Sting and

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

and also featured

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

& The

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...

and

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

. The American singer

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

finished his

Carpe Diem Tour The Carpe Diem Tour was a headlining concert tour by American recording artist Chris Brown, in support of his fifth studio album '' Fortune''. The tour included shows in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Trinidad. It began on November 14, 2012 in Denmar ...

at this stadium on December 30, 2012.

Incidents

On March 29, 2009, during the match between Ivory Coast and Malawi, the gateway to an open corner of the stadium gave way before the kick-off of the match. A stampede ensued when 19 people were killed by trampling. Over 130 were injured as well. On January 1, 2013, following a New Year's Eve fireworks display, another stampede took place, in which sixty-one lives were claimed, with upwards of 200 injuries sustained.

2020 Renovations

Renovations for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations are expected to begin in April 2020 and take 16 months. The renovation will be performed by

Mota-Engil Mota-Engil is a Portuguese group in the sectors of civil construction, public works, port operations, waste, water, and logistics. The chairman of the board of directors is António Mota and Gonçalo Moura Martins is the company's CEO. Jorge Co ...

and is expected to include the installation of a complete roof and an increase in capacity.

Structure

The bleachers painted in national colors consist of curves, the gallery lagoon side of the podium, a gallery and a presidential box, VIP, and BVIP . The stage contains a media room, a room control used for anti-doping, a VIP room, a treatment room, offices of arbitrators, a massage room, and four dressing rooms. The stadium has a video board 220 volts for 35 kwh, 16.50 meters by 5.70 meters. The lawn is of international standard and is maintained daily green and glowing.

History

Incidents

2020 Renovations

Structure

References

External links