The president of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), Augustin Senghor, expressed his deep sadness following the departure of Aliou Cissé, national coach, winner of the African Cup of Nations (CAN). This departure, which took place last month, was imposed by a directive from the Ministry of Sports, despite the reluctance of the FSF.
Aliou Cissé, in office since 2015, made history by giving Senegal its first continental title in 2022. Under his leadership, the team also reached the CAN final in 2019 and participated in two World Cups, making proof of an unprecedented regularity on the continent. Since the start of last year, the Teranga Lions have not lost a competitive match, apart from penalties.
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“Before his arrival, we had never won a continental trophy. It was huge for us,” Augustin Senghor told BBC Sport Africa. “We thought it was good to let him finish his work, because Senegal is in a transition phase”
A decision imposed by the government
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Aliou Cissé’s contract, which expired in August, had been informally extended to allow him to manage the first qualifying matches for CAN 2025 in September. However, to everyone’s surprise, he was ruled out by a decision from the Ministry of Sports.
“He was surprised, but the message he gave was that he didn’t want to create a crisis,” Senghor explained.
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Despite the tensions between the FSF and the government, Senghor stressed the importance of maintaining stability because, he said, conflict is not productive. If we want to move forward, this must be done in a peaceful environment.
A remarkable record
Under Cissé’s leadership, Senegal not only dominated African football by occupying first place in the continental rankings for four years, but also shone at youth team level and in competitions such as CHAN.
However, criticism of his tactics intensified after the Lions were eliminated in 2023 and their world rankings fell slightly. These points, combined with an alleged disaffection between the national team and fans, pushed the ministry to act.
An uncertain but promising future
Augustin Senghor regrets that Cissé was not able to complete the generational transition that he had initiated, particularly with the emergence of young talents like Lamine Camara, Pape Matar Sarr and Habib Diarra. Senghor and his services would have preferred that there be one more year to finalize this work and leave with honors. “But he is still young, and nothing says that he will not come back in the future,” he concluded.
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