Teams released from Bouake hotel

The three teams who were trapped in the Ivorian city of Bouake following an army mutiny have been finally evacuated.

French troops moved in late on Thursday afternoon and escorted the sides to safety.

The teams, from Sierra Leone, Senegal and the Gambia, were escorted on to the city of Yamousokro alongside other foreign nationals who were also trapped in Bouake.

They had spent nine days in total trapped in the hotel and were facing dwindling resources of food and water.

Already they had been reduced to using water from the hotel's swimming pool to wash and bathe.

Officials and players of the teams told BBC Sport Online that they were "happy and relieved" to be finally leaving Bouake.