It is a scene which will remain – unfortunately – in the memories of African and world football. Ulcerated by the referee’s decision to award a penalty to Morocco in stoppage time in the second half of the African Cup of Nations final on January 18, the Senegal players headed to the locker room. Encouraged by their coach Pape Thiaw and determined not to resume the match. All except one: captain Sadio Mané.
In the chaos of the stadium, the Senegalese number 10, hero of the final, remained on the edge of the field, taken aback but not totally alone. The star of the Lions of Teranga indeed discussed, to obtain advice on what he should do, with several people, three football personalities: the Frenchman Claude Le Roy but also with two former legends of Senegalese football, El Hadji Diouf and Mamadou Niang.
If Claude Le Roy had already recounted his discussion with Mané, Niang had not yet spoken. The former Marseille player finally revealed the content of his exchange during a program broadcast on Canal + Africa on Monday.
“When the players start to leave the field, he (Mane) looks a little doubtful, he doesn’t understand what’s happening, begins the former OM striker. At this point, I’m close to the sidelines. He looks at me and says: “Mamad, what am I doing? “. I wanted to tell him that he had the answer within him. But he just wanted to have some kind of support, some support. »
“If we have to lose, we will lose this match, but like men”
“I told him very quickly, in 10 or 20 seconds, that we must not leave the field. We see everything that is happening, I can understand that there is anger, frustration, but this match you have to finish, it may be your last CAN and you cannot go out like that. If we have to lose, we will lose this match, no problem but we will lose like men. »
Relaunched on his capital role in his compatriot’s decision which made it possible to save the match and see Senegal crowned, Niang believes that Mané already had “the answer in him”, “I see it in his eyes”.
“The person best able to bring the group back was Sadio”
“There was a lot of agitation,” continues the former Lions of Teranga. Claude (Le Roy, also present on the Canal set + Africa) was at the edge of the field too, he saw that things were going in all directions. We had this experience… In 2004, we wanted to leave the field and fortunately we didn’t do it because we could have had a lot of problems. I wanted, at some point, for everyone to breathe and the person best able to bring the group back was Sadio, given his aura and for everyone to listen to him. It was up to him to make that decision and that responsibility, and he took it. If there was ever a moment where Sadio needed to step up this was it and Sadio did it. »
And to continue with an anecdote during the title celebration at the presidential palace in Dakar. “He came to thank me for coming to talk to him but I told him ‘don’t thank me because you already had the answer,’” Niang explains. As he is a very collective person, he was torn between following his group and his coach, or taking responsibility and telling the group to stay, and that is what he did. »
To the delight of Senegal supporters who will witness their team’s coronation at the end of extra time.
Keep reading
