THE SPORT SCAN – Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York and great football fan, gave his best memory of African football. And this also concerns the Blues.
Zohran Mamdani is a big football fan. The new mayor of New York was surprising by mentioning in particular the names of Pascal Cygan and Sébastien Squillaci, former players of Arsenal, his favorite club. In a podcast, the new councilor did not hide his memories about the English club Gunners, rocked in particular by the exploits of the team led by Arsène Wenger at the time. The young political leader, aged 34 and born in Uganda, did it again by answering questions about African football.
On the sidelines of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which is currently taking place in Morocco, Zohran Mamdani delivered his best memory linked to African football. And surprisingly, this still has a connection with France. “ It wasn’t at the CAN, but it’s still African footballhe admits on the Egyptian-American channel Pharaohtalks. Usually, my father never let me be late for school, but in 2002, when Senegal beat France in the opening match (defeat of the Blues 1-0 at the World Cup)… Well I arrived late.»
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France-Senegal on June 16… in New York for the 2026 World Cup
A sign of his knowledge of football, the mayor of New York develops his argument with very precise facts from a match which marked the history of the France team. “ Papa Bouba Diop, 1-0, one of my best memories. This Senegalese team (who will advance to the quarter-finals), with Henri Camara, Khalilou Fadiga, El-Hadji Diouf, these are striking memories of my youth.” As a reminder, the Blues, 1998 world and 2000 European champions, will be eliminated in the group stages. These two countries will meet again in 2026 for the World Cup in America. See you on June 16… in New York.
