Champions League: Yaya Touré makes history with Slovan Bratislava

Former Ivory Coast international Yaya Touré has made African football history by guiding Slovan Bratislava into the Champions League league phase. It is a first for an African coach in the competition. Appointed in July to lead the Slovak side on a three-year contract, Touré wasted little time making his mark in his first job as a head coach.

On Wednesday night, Slovan Bratislava booked their place in the Champions League league phase by beating NK Celje 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of the playoff. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the Slovak club won 3-2 on aggregate. The qualification allows Yaya Touré to reach another milestone in his young coaching career. The former Manchester City midfielder has become the first African coach to take a team directly into the league phase of Europe’s premier competition.

In 2020, Nigeria’s Ndubuisi Egbo had already made history by becoming the first African coach to manage a club in the Champions League with KF Tirana. His team, however, did not reach the league phase.