Histoires d'Ivoire traces the complex story of the Belgium soccer team KSK Beveren, which trains in the Ivory Coast and features a majority of players from there.

Most of the Ivorian players come from the youth soccer academy ASEC Mimosas in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast's largest city, which was founded by Beveren's former manager Jean-Marc Guillou. The players are schooled there and then come to Belgium by way of its relatively easy work-permit regulations. If they prove their skill, the players often move on to bigger clubs in Europe, their rights being sold at a hefty sum. This practice of bringing in Ivorian players has been criticized in the Belgian media as it is unclear the extent to which either side is taking advantage of the other.

The film follows the ups and downs of the team throughout the season, but more interestingly, explores the subtle cultural divides and complicated relationships between the colonizer and the colonized.

LEARN MORE:
Visit the KSK Beveren website.
Visit KSK Beveren's UEFA page.