00:03In 2005, Ivory Coast was a country divided by civil war.
00:09Government forces controlled the south while rebels held much of the north.
00:15Families faced uncertainty and the conflict had turned communities apart.
00:21At the same time, the national football team was chasing something historic, its first
00:28qualification for the FIFA World Cup.
00:30Their captain was Didier Drogba, then a star striker at Chelsea.
00:37The squad brought together players from different backgrounds.
00:41Carrying the hopes of the people across the country for supporters, the team offered a
00:48rare reason to celebrate together.
00:50But their place at the World Cup was not yet secure.
00:54That moment mattered to millions.
00:56Tomorrow could still be different.
01:00On 8 October 2005, Ivory Coast beat Sudan 3-1 in a crucial qualifier.
01:06But qualification depends on the result of another match, Cameroon against Egypt.
01:12If Cameroon won, Ivory Coast would miss out.
01:16The players waited for news.
01:18The Cameroon were awarded a late penalty.
01:21Perry Worm stepped up, knowing that the kick could send his country to the World Cup.
01:28He missed.
01:30Cameroon failed to win.
01:32And Ivory Coast qualified for their first ever World Cup.
01:35The dressing room erupted with joy.
01:38Yet, Captain Drogba and his teammates chose to use that moment for something beyond celebration.
01:45They gathered in front of a camera with a message for the people watching at home.
01:51The final chapter was unwritten.
01:54Drogba spoke directly to the people of Ivory Coast.
01:57He asked them to stop the fighting and give peace a chance.
02:01Then, he and his teammates went down on their knees together.
02:07These were players who just achieved a historic sporting victory.
02:11Using the spotlight to make an appeal for their country, the message spread across the nation.
02:18For a moment, people on different sides of the conflict could celebrate the same team
02:24and share the same feeling of pride.
02:28Football had not solved the political crisis and one speech could not erase years of suffering.
02:35But the players had shown what unity could look like.
02:39The journey continued.
02:41The story continued in 2007 when Ivory Coast played a match in Bawak, a city associated with the rebellion.
02:51The game was a symbolic gesture in a country still struggling to heal.
02:57Ivory cost 1-5-0 and Drogba scored the final goal.
03:02The match offered a rare picture of people coming together.
03:06But it did not end the civil war.
03:09Peace depended on political agreements and difficult work beyond the stadium.
03:15Drogba never had the power to settle the conflict alone.
03:19What he and his teammates did was different.
03:22They used football to remind people of what they shared.
03:27Their actions showed that sport can create a moment of connection even when country is divided.
03:35Peace needed more than words.
03:37That moment mattered to millions.
03:40In his work and his photographs.
03:46This is a great uitering environment.
