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Ivorian singer DJ Arafat in RFI's Grand Studio, June 2018. Β© RFI / Anthony Ravera

Originally from the Youpougon district of Abidjan, where he was born in 1986, DJ Arafat, whose real name is Ange Didier Huon, who died in a motorcycle accident on Monday, August 12, 2019, was well known in the world of football. He had also written a title to the glory of his friend Didier Drogba.

DJ Arafat was a true football fan and sometimes backed his national team. But there is often second degree in his outings. The Ivory Coast team was one of his inspirations.

DJ Arafat often used Facebook for his positions. In 2014, the Elephants' defeat against the DRC in a qualifying match of the 2015 CAN had inspired him a piece in which he asked for the return of those who for him constituted the ideal Ivorian team: Kader Keita, Didier Drogba, Gosso Gosso. Mad with rage, DJ Arafat had even asked for Congolese nationality!

Today, Didier Drogba first supported Twitter, following the announcement of the accident. Hearing the death of the Ivorian star, he published a photo of the singer on stage on Instagram accompanied by a multitude of broken hearts.

See this post on Instagram

πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’” πŸ’”πŸ’”

A shared publication by didierdrogba (@didierdrogba) on August 12, 2019 at 6:40 PDT

Not always tender with Elephants

Also in the frame of the eliminations of CAN 2015, Ivory Coast had been largely beaten by Cameroon. And DJ Arafat had not been tender with his compatriots and in particular with Captain Yaya Toure. " Elephants, we're tired of you, Mother. You do not care. You are asked to play the ball and you have fun on the field. We must now put you in step. We'll watch you , "he said. " Yaya Toure, you wanted to be given the armband, today you had the armband, you just give us the brewery, " he said to the youngest brother Toure. Finally, the two men had managed to come to terms.

At the last continental tournament in Egypt, DJ Arafat also distinguished himself by calling Serey Die who missed a penalty against Algeria in the quarter-finals. " He's an Ivorian brother, but as a captain, he was not allowed to make mistakes. Being a captain is a responsibility, "said DJ Arafat. In a live Facebook session, DJ Arafat had explained the reasons for his anger against Serey Die.

Presnel Kimpembe liked DJ Arafat

" In this story, I bet, I lost two million CFA francs (note: just under 3400 Swiss francs). How many people on this earth have lost money because of this very important match? Two million is not a lot of money, but it's still money. Before being DJ Arafat, I am a human being, it is normal that I am dissatisfied. What did I say wrong ? "

DJ Arafat then claimed his money from Serey Die: " I lost because of you, you owe me two million, you will give them to me. "

Despite these stories between him and Ivorian footballers, DJ Arafat was well known in the world of football. One of his tracks ( Djessimidjeka ) was part of the playlist of the France team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In the role of DJ, Presnel Kimpembe, originally from Haiti and Congo, broadcasted the greatest hits of the moment, including that of DJ Arafat.

Sad to learn the death of this great Ivorian artist! But the most intriguing thing about this story is that the Jonathan sound that propelled it was a homage to a motorcycle accident. 😱😭 RiP #djarafat pic.twitter.com/EiwR6lUdk0

Chris Mavinga (@Chris_Mavinga) August 12, 2019