Senegal’s elimination from the World Cup: is the coach rightly or wrongly accused?
Aliou Cisse, Head Coach of Senegal, looks on during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between England and Senegal at Al Bayt Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
DAKAR, December 9, 2022 – England knocked out Senegal in the Round of 16 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup with a 3-1 scoreline last Sunday. The elimination of the of the Teranga Lions did not come as a surprise, if we consider England's supremacy over Senegal in football. However, until the eve of the match, Senegalese fans were optimistic, even projecting themselves in the quarterfinals facing France. Some were hoping to see a remake of the 2002 World Cup opening match where Senegal had beaten the French team by a goal scored by the late Pape Bouba Diop.
But this was only a dream, a will nourished by a people who saw in these Lions the capacity to reach at least the quarterfinals. It is normal because the team led by Aliou Cissé won the African Cup of Nations just several months ago. In the FIFA ranking, Senegal is the leading African football nation. However, football is not exactly science. As President Gianni Infantino said, “there are no more small teams and no more big teams”.
Despite their tenacity and their obvious desire to stay in the competition, the Teranga Lions came up against a much fiercer Three Lions, who mastered the art of football better than they did. After all, the English invented this sport.
The African champions returned home without a trophy. A disappointment for the fans whose dream has been shattered and who are looking for an explanation. Very often, the coach is accused. Many Senegalese have criticised the system of play set up by Aliou Cissé. Some have even gone as far as calling for his resignation. Indeed, many people see in the elimination of a team, a failure in the coaching.
The coaches of Mexico, Belgium and Ghana, whose teams were eliminated in the first round of the Qatari World Cup, resigned without waiting to be forced to do so. Spain thanked Luis Enriqué after his team was beaten by Morocco in the round of 16. And the Senegalese are no exception. After each defeat, coach Aliou Cissé is pointed at, put in the dock, rightly or wrongly? The question can be debated.
Even if the coach is responsible for the team from which positive results are expected, situation out of his control can arise. What would be the national teams who after each elimination in international competition change coaches? An eternal restart. It is true that it took the Senegalese several decades of attempts with a dozen of coaches to arrive in 2022 to put a star on the national jersey. It is certainly neither because of the incompetence of Cisse's predecessors, nor the lack of will of the players. It is perhaps more about the completion of a process, a consistency in the work and an investment equal to the ambitions.
Success in football is not a matter of one match, but the combination of efforts on both the infrastructural and human levels. Therefore, instead of thinking of cutting the head of the coach after each debacle, the Senegalese should demand a better training policy for the youngest category, the construction of infrastructure that meets international standards and a union of hearts and forces to push the team to victory. This is the only way to keep the African champion title and to be present at the 2026 World Cup in America.
But this was only a dream, a will nourished by a people who saw in these Lions the capacity to reach at least the quarterfinals. It is normal because the team led by Aliou Cissé won the African Cup of Nations just several months ago. In the FIFA ranking, Senegal is the leading African football nation. However, football is not exactly science. As President Gianni Infantino said, “there are no more small teams and no more big teams”.
Despite their tenacity and their obvious desire to stay in the competition, the Teranga Lions came up against a much fiercer Three Lions, who mastered the art of football better than they did. After all, the English invented this sport.
The African champions returned home without a trophy. A disappointment for the fans whose dream has been shattered and who are looking for an explanation. Very often, the coach is accused. Many Senegalese have criticised the system of play set up by Aliou Cissé. Some have even gone as far as calling for his resignation. Indeed, many people see in the elimination of a team, a failure in the coaching.
The coaches of Mexico, Belgium and Ghana, whose teams were eliminated in the first round of the Qatari World Cup, resigned without waiting to be forced to do so. Spain thanked Luis Enriqué after his team was beaten by Morocco in the round of 16. And the Senegalese are no exception. After each defeat, coach Aliou Cissé is pointed at, put in the dock, rightly or wrongly? The question can be debated.
Even if the coach is responsible for the team from which positive results are expected, situation out of his control can arise. What would be the national teams who after each elimination in international competition change coaches? An eternal restart. It is true that it took the Senegalese several decades of attempts with a dozen of coaches to arrive in 2022 to put a star on the national jersey. It is certainly neither because of the incompetence of Cisse's predecessors, nor the lack of will of the players. It is perhaps more about the completion of a process, a consistency in the work and an investment equal to the ambitions.
Success in football is not a matter of one match, but the combination of efforts on both the infrastructural and human levels. Therefore, instead of thinking of cutting the head of the coach after each debacle, the Senegalese should demand a better training policy for the youngest category, the construction of infrastructure that meets international standards and a union of hearts and forces to push the team to victory. This is the only way to keep the African champion title and to be present at the 2026 World Cup in America.
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