Didier Drogba snubbed Chelsea coaching offer

Didier Drogba says he was offered a ‘perfect’ coaching role at Chelsea but rejected a return to Stamford Bridge so he could bid to become the next president of the Ivorian FA.

The 41-year-old hung up his boots at the end of last year after a spell with Phoenix Rising and announced in September that he would run for the top job at the Ivory Coast Football Federation.

On Wednesday, he met with a large number of presidents and representatives of lower tier clubs in the country and shared his plans to replace Augustin Sidy Diallo.

Speaking at a business forum when he first announced his plans, Drogba said: ‘I am a leader, and my vision is bigger than just the simple role of being a coach.

‘A coach has an impact on a club – but I want to have an impact on an entire nation.

‘I want us to re-think football, with a nationwide vision, so we can develop the game here. The Ivory Coast has a glorious footballing past.

‘The funds are in place, together with talent and potential, but they are under-exploited.

‘There are some very competent people in the Ivory Coast who can work with me on this project.’

Drogba, who helped the Ivory Coast finally win the African Nations Cup in 2015, is eager to help revive football in the country, having failed to qualify for the last World Cup, and received the backing of the body that oversees the third-tier of football in the country after Wednesday’s meeting.