Mama Ouattara

Who was Mama Ouattara?

Mama Ouattara was a footballer from Bouna, Côte d'Ivoire. He played for French clubs Nîmes Olympique, Montpellier HSC, Olympique Avignonnais and homeland club Stade d'Abidjan, as well as the Côte d'Ivoire national team.

Following his playing career he pursued a career in coaching, being assigned a job in the Côte d'Ivoire national team in 2002. He took the Ivorian junior team to second place at the 2003 African Youth Championship in Burkina Faso and subsequently led the team to the World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. He became the right-hand man to former national team coach Henri Michel.

He died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52, following a training session before the Côte d'Ivoire v Egypt World Cup qualifying game.