Serigne Saliou Dia, the coach of the national under-20 team, gave his opinion on the flight of Senegalese talents to other African teams. A phenomenon that is gaining popularity in the den, in particular with the Samba Diallo case, which caused a lot of controversy recently, before the African U20 champion came out of his reserve to deny the information concerning his change of sporting nationality.
Joining the national A team is a real obstacle course for many Senegalese players, who have worn the colors of the national team with the U17, U20 and even U23 selections. After making their debut with the small selections, some players chose to opt for other countries, notably Guinea or Mauritania. While waiting for a place in the A team, players like Khadim Diaw, Pape Ndiaga Yade, Alioune Badara Baldé… chose to turn their backs on Senegal to choose the Mourabitounes and the Sily National.
“The U23 selection is practically inactive”
Serigne Saliou Dia, who was also responsible for the selection of the U17s, highlighted the difficulty of managing young talents. “ At a certain age, management becomes difficult. A player who finished with the U20 selection while awaiting his debut with the A selection, would normally go through the U23 selection, which would serve as a springboard towards the first team. Unfortunately, our U23 selection did not qualify for the CAN, and for four years, this team has been practically inactive. The wait therefore becomes long for some players, and in this case, they can easily be influenced. They are starting to consider joining other selections”declared on the microphone of wiwsport.
However, despite the sometimes endless wait to join the A selection, Serigne Saliou Dia asks young players to remain faithful to their homeland.
« Young players need to have this notion of love for their homeland and this notion of patience, because they tend to be in too much of a hurry. This patience will allow them to continue the work and bide their time with the selection A” he adds before concluding: “They must be patient and understand that selection A is open to all, but only those who deserve it will be called ».
With Onzedafrik
