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Serey Die plays for Ivory Coast after shedding tears for father | Ivory Coast football team

This article is more than 9 years old

Serey Die plays for Ivory Coast after shedding tears for father

This article is more than 9 years old Midfielder is consoled by his team-mates before match
Colombia 2-1 Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast midfielder Serey Die said he broke down in tears over the emotion of representing his country at a World Cup.

A sombre Die said the emotion of the occasion had got to him. “I was going to play for my country,” he said when asked about the tears. “But it’s true that I thought about my father, who died in 2004,” he added.

Die was crying as the anthems played before they faced Colombia in Brasilia, with rumours circulating on Twitter that his father, who died in 2004, had passed away two hours before the Group C match, which they lost 2-1.

The public outpouring continued after his mistake led to Colombia’s second goal, Die caught in possession by James Rodríguez as Juan Quintero ran clear to put the South Americans 2-0 up in the 70th minute.

Colombia’s injured forward Radamel Falcao appeared to be one of those to make the mistake of thinking Die’s father had passed away just before kick-off.

“A big hug for Serey Die today he was a great example for all of us who love this sport,” the striker posted on his Twitter account.

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Jenniffer Sheldon

Update: 2024-09-04