ACTUALITE |
14.11.2001
Senegal`s golden year runs on
Senegal`s Amilcar Cabral triumph showcases just how deep the seam of talent in Senegalese football runs.
The team that lifted the cup for the Lion`s for the first time in ten years was a long way off Senegal`s best.
All of the country`s first choice players were either in South Korea with the full team for a friendly or held back by their European clubs.
So it was largely an under-23 side that gave The Lions their 8th Cabral victory with a 3-1 win over Gambia.
So will this present a selection dilemma for Coach Bruno Metsu when he picks his Nations Cup squad?
Probably not.
Watching Senegal earning a hard-fought but deserved win over World Cup co-hosts South Korea in Jeonju, it is difficult to imagine any of their Cabral-winning understudies forcing their way in.
The harsh truth is that the most talented youngsters are already in the full national squad.
AC Milan`s Adama Sarr is 18, and Saint Etienne left-footers Alasanne Ndour and Frédéric Mendy are only slightly older.
Keeper queries
That`s not to forget goal-a-game striker El Hadji Diouf who is still just 20.
That is a tough reality for the Cabral winners, especially the those like Bielefield`s Mamadou Diaban and PSG`s Ibrahima Diédhiou.
They look just too tender to make the step up to top-level international football just yet.
One player with perhaps the best chance of causing Metsu some problems is the home-based Ousmane Ndoye.
He lifted the Amilcar Cabral player-of-the-tournament award and scored twice in the final.
He has also featured in some of Metsu`s earlier squads.
Another possibility is captain and goalkeeper Khalilou Cissokho who had a fine tournament.
Metsu and his technical crew are actively searching for a third goalkeeper for the Nations` Cup.
All in all, though, it would be no surprise if none of the Cabral winners return to Bamako for Mali 2002 in January.
Instead, the Cabral win must be considered the first stage of the preparations for the 2004 Olympics.
Senegalese Football Federation President El Hadj Malick Sy considers that one of his top priorities.
It is also an indication of the strength in depth of Senegalese football, and the continuation of a golden year in which everything has gone right for World Cup first-timers Senegal.
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Hits: 1 | Source:BBC | |
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