The secret behind Senegal’s continental football dominance

Following the unprecedented success of Senegal at the just concluded U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), observers have continued to shower praises on the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF).

The Cubs of Teranga battled to the U-20 AFCON title on Saturday by defeating the Gambia 2-0 in the final.

Brilliant forward Sulaymane Faye and midfielder Mamadou Camara condemned the Gambians to defeat. I, for one, having watched Gambia’s style of play prior to the final, never expected too much from them.

I had even predicted a victory for the Senegalese team. Gambia’s semi-final win over Nigeria was largely due to the latter’s flippant and frivolous approach to the game. The Flying Eagles could have easily won the match but for their poor displays in the attacking third.

But that is not to denigrate the Young Scorpions’ general performances. They, alongside Senegal, got to the final without conceding a single goal. That’s quite commendable.

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Right from the commencement of the tournament, the Teranga Cubs showed discipline and character – traits that have defined Senegalese national teams over the past few years.

It even makes for interesting reading the fact that Senegal have now won gold in four CAF competitions within the past 13 months.

The West African nation have claimed the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Beach Soccer AFCON, the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the U-20 AFCON titles between February 2022 and March 2023.

One fact that has made all these victories special is that three of the four titles are maiden wins for the country. They had never won any of these titles, barring the Beach Soccer AFCON, before this time.

The Cubs of Teranga were playing their fourth U-20 AFCON final having finished runners-up in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Must have been a frustrating period for the Senegalese football chiefs, players, coaches and fans.

Buoyed by the likes of Lamine Camara and Pape Diop, Senegal cruised to victory in Cairo.

Camara, who clinched the MVP award, also represented his country at the CHAN tournament in Algeria and was one of the best players. The deadly Pape Diop won the top scorer award with five goals, playing from a midfield position.

In the same vein, Landing Badji claimed the Best Goalkeeper award, following the footsteps of Édouard Mendy who won the same award at the last AFCON competition. Compatriot Pape Mamadou Sy also received the golden glove award at the CHAN tournament.

Meanwhile, the Flying Eagles of Nigeria settled for the Fair Play award.

The U-20 national football team of Senegal understood what winning the title meant.

“We are here to continue success of our country on the continent,” said head coach Malick Daf at the pre-match press conference before the Gambia game.

Senegal’s hard labour over the years have started to yield bountiful harvests and we have witnessed it through the months up to their U-20 AFCON win.

Let us now take a brief timeline of the football successes recorded by this great African nation within the period under review before we assess critical factors key to Senegal’s football success.

AFCON triumph (February, 2022)

The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, rescheduled for 2022, is still fresh in our memories.

Senegal won the AFCON title after beating Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shootout. The game had ended goalless after extra time.

The Lions of Teranga had lost the 2019 AFCON final to Algeria but they took it a step further by not just reaching yet another final, but also claiming a first title in Cameroon.

Recall that the man who masterminded the team’s victory last year, Aliou Cissé, captained the Senegal team that got to the 2002 AFCON final. He was one of the players who missed their penalty during the final loss against Cameroon.

The famous El Hadji Diouf also missed his spot kick in the shootout.

Cissé is also well-known for captaining the Senegal national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup – where the Teranga Lions became only the second African country to reach the last eight of the World Cup (at that time).

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Ghana later went on to qualify for the quarter finals of the World Cup in 2010, becoming the third African nation to do so, but were ousted by Uruguay. No African nation has reached that stage of the mundial ever since.

In as much as the whole Senegalese team put in a collective effort to achieve their ultimate target, they largely depended on the services of the likes of Sadio Mané, Ismaïla Sarr, Cheikhou Kouyaté, Idrissa Gueye and Édouard Mendy.

Beach Soccer AFCON (October 2022)

Almost five months ago, Senegal won the Beach Soccer AFCON title in Mozambique. The team beat Egypt (Yes! Egypt again) 6-5 on penalties after the game ended 2-2 in normal time.

Senegal also unsurprisingly scooped the individual awards available at the tournament. Seydina Diagne was selfish enough to win both the top scorer and MVP awards. Meanwhile, Al Seynie Ndiaye was awarded the Best Goalkeeper prize.

Earlier, Morocco had defeated hosts Mozambique 6-4 in the third place playoff.

African Nations Championship (CHAN)

Senegal were at it again, not seeming to know how to stop winning as they won, albeit tightly, the CHAN earlier this year.

It was on the 4th of February, to be precise, when an U-23 Senegal side beat Algeria on home soil.

The home-based Lions of Teranga avenged the country’s AFCON final loss in 2019 by beating their north African counterparts 5-4 on penalties.

Senegal ensured victory in the very edgy final at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers on a cold winter night.

Senegal’s huge investment in sports

This is no overnight success for Senegal but a deliberate, consistent mutual effort to invest in sports, culture and tourism in order to benefit in the long run.

The actions of the government of Senegal in supporting the FSF and the national team coaches in addition to pumping as much money as possible into renovation of stadiums and the proposed construction of a $2 billion Diamniadio Lake City is applaudable.

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The present Senegalese government, headed by President Macky Sall, have deemed it necessary to ‘sell’ Senegal, and extensively Africa, to the world. Little wonder Senegal have invested a lot in sports and entertainment.

The Diamniadio Lake City for example, is expected to feature an industrial park, entertainment facilities and state ministries.

It’s a good thing that the country does not joke with its history, culture and tourism. The more Senegal positions itself as the centrepiece of continental football dominance, the more it drives not only intra-African tourism but also intercontinental tourism too. This will in turn transform to economic growth.

Not forgetting preparations for the upcoming 2026 Summer Youth Olympics happening in the capital city of Dakar. The event is set to mark a huge difference in the tourism sector of the country.

The government have also allowed the national teams enough autonomy to run their businesses themselves while giving them all the assistance required of a responsible, ambitious and futuristic government.

Trust in locally bred coaches

Malick Daf and Cissé are men who have enjoyed the trust of the FSF.

54-year-old Daf was appointed manager of Senegalese club ASC Jaraaf in 2016 before being called up to national duty with the U-17 side in 2019.

As a commitment to rewarding good work in the national team development, Daf was given the U-20 top job in 2021. Patience, discipline and trust in the process has seen Daf occupy the position for the past two years now.

Winning the U-20 AFCON with Senegal is a great reward for the coach.

Same goes for Cissé who was appointed Senegal’s national team coach in 2015.

The FSF saw they needed someone who’s been in the system as a player and coach and decided to trust him with the coaching role after his time as the national U-23 team manager.

The U-20 AFCON triumph, alongside these other titles, has marked the beginning of a new football era for Senegal.