Dakar, 2 oct (APS) – The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) announced Wednesday that the State of Senegal had decided not to approve the renewal of the contract of the Lions football coach, Aliou Cissé, confirming information relayed for several days through the media and social networks.
“The FSF received on Monday a confidential letter from the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Khady Diéne Gaye, not approving the amendment to renew the team’s coach’s contract for one year. national A, Aliou CISSE”, we can read in a press release.
The supervisory authority justified its decision by “the non-achievement of the objectives assigned as part of the amendment of November 7, 2022 which expired on August 31, 2024 (victory at CAN 2023 and qualification for the quarter-finals at the 2022 World Cup). ), the regression of our national team in the FIFA rankings and the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese in general.
Senegal, winner of CAN 2021, played in 2022 in Cameroon, was eliminated with the lions in the round of 16 of the 2023 edition by the host country, Ivory Coast.
The Lions also fell two places in the latest FIFA world rankings dated September 19, going from 19e at 21e place.
Senegal, however, remains in second place in the African rankings.
“The authority deduced as a consequence of its decision that Mr. CISSE was no longer covered by a contract duly approved by the State of Senegal and could no longer lead the national team from that moment on,” the press release indicates.
On this basis, the Minister of Sports invited “the FSF to take the necessary measures to ensure the participation of Senegal in the qualifying phase for the 2025 African Cup of Nations”.
Following this decision by the supervisory authority, “the emergency committee of the FSF extended to the members of the executive committee” met on Tuesday and took “note of the decision of the Minister of Sports not to approve the renewal of the contract of the coach of the Senegal national A team”.
The committee also decided to “give a mandate to the president of the FSF and the national technical director to put in place an interim staff for the continuity of the team’s participation in the qualifying phase for CAN 2025, taking into account the nature urgency of the situation”.
He decided to cancel the press conference to publish the list of players for the matches of the 3rd and 4th days (October 11 in Dakar and October 15 in Lilongwe) against Malawi scheduled for this Friday.
The list will be published the same day at 10 a.m. on the FSF website and on its digital platforms.
Aliou Cissé had led the national A team since March 2015. He won the 2021 CAN in Cameroon, after reaching the final of the 2019 edition in Egypt.
Cissé participated in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where Senegal was eliminated in the first round.
He then qualified the Lions for the second World Cup in Qatar. The team was eliminated in the quarter-finals of this edition by England.
In its press release, the FSF thanked Aliou Cissé “for his good collaboration and his brilliant results at the head of the various national selections that he has had to manage since his arrival in 2011 and wishes him every success for the future”.
SK/BK/ASG
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