“I know Doemench well and I’m afraid he’s gonna make him play for five minutes before storing him in the attic. When I was playing under him , Raymond never wanted me to come play for the national Team. But since I’m hard headed, I would refuse to follow him and I would come ply anyway.”

According to an interview he gave to a senegalese radio station, Lamine Ndiaye believes that after having waited for a french call-up for years, Gomis seemed set on playing for Senegal and according to his club partner Bayal sall, started to make it known around Saint-Etienne. At nearly 23 and with the eclosion of younger players and/or more accustomed to the french selection than he (Benzema, Benarfa, Briand, Sinama-Pongolle, Saha, etc…) he believed he would never be considered. Which is when Senegal started thinking seriously about him. According to Lamine Ndiaye, his presence in the list is not innocent:

“It’s not for nothing that Raymond Domenech, who had provided a list of 29 players, has finally decided to change it to 30. I’m afraid he only added Bafetimbi Gomis to make sure he would not be joining the Senegalese National Team.”

This story will not be ending soon since the French Federation has supposedly contacted FIFA to make sure that the case of Issiar Dia is sorted out (they could actually just write the consent form, but they won’t, making it nearly impossible for Issiar to play against Algeria). We’ll see what comes next.

I think both sides should calm down. If it goes any further, we should be able to take back Patrick Vieira, Patrice Evra and any one of the Diarras.
Another advice for Lamine Ndiaye, make sure this doesn’t happen with Lamine Sakho of PSG, David Bellion, and countless other young players of senegalese descent.

Keepers:
Tony Sylva (Lille)
Bouna Coundoul (Colorado Rapids, MLS)
Abdoulaye Coulibaly (St-Etienne, France)

Defenders:
Pascal Mendy (Kaunnas, Lituanie),
Cheikh Guèye (Metz, France)
Pape Malickou Diakhaté (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine)
Ibrahima Sonko (Reading, England)
Abdoulaye Diagne Faye (Newcastle, England)
Guirane Ndaw (Sochaux, France)
Ibrahima Faye (Troyes, France)

Midfielders:
Moustapha Bayal Sall (St-Etienne, France)
Pape Malick Bâ (FC Bâle, Suisse)
Ousmane Ndoye (FC Vaslui, Roumanie)
Pape Waïgo Ndiaye (Fiorentina, Italie)
Babacar Guèye (Metz, France)
Frédéric Mendy (Bastia, France)
Diomansy Kamara (Fulham, England)
Kader Mangane (Lens, France)

Strikers:
El Hadj Diouf (Bolton, England)
Henri Camara (West Ham, England)
Pape Modou Sougou (Leiria, Portugal)
Issiar Dia (Nancy, France).

“After the African Cup of Nations in Ghana, I decided to take some time to think and fall back from the National Team in order to see morer clearly. I have seen things in Ghana that I did not care for and that I can’t condone. So I decided I would not be responding positively to the Senegal call-ups until I haven’t spolen with the new People at the Federation and with my Coach”

See this should have me shook. mamadou Niang is the best senegalese player playing today but he ahs so many things against him on this one that I don’t see this having any effectr on whoever is concerned. First of all, no matter what he says, Mamad’ as he likes to be called, has never showed anything stellar with the Lions and I am still wating for him to prove all those who believe he doesn’t play 100% wrong. For the record, I think he plays because he kinda HAS to but he never was as patriotic as a Henri Camara for example.
Anyway, The other reason is that most non-european players will be on vacation between the four games in Jube and this seems all too convenient for him to be suddenly concerned with the winner workings of the tem while he was faking an inkury last year to go on vcation with his family in Washington D.C (Of all places?).
Anyway, this is another one of those convenience retirement and I’m looking forward to seeing him back in the Selection next season.

“I would like to exhort you to give your best to defend the national colours with determination, intelligence and courage. I would like to remind you that you no more will be fighting for your respective careers but for the honour and the pride of the nation. You know what this flag means and you will no doubt have in heart to defend it and to put it at its highest. No effort will be too much for that task. Go gaindés (Lions), Ca Kanam, Ca Kanam, Ca Kanam (further, further, further…).”

This is another one of the videos of this CAN countdown showing the little banquet as well as a little reportage in the markets of the capital where a lot of money is being made and even though the resellers are complaining that they haven’t received the new jerseys, the old ones are selling like hot cakes, Elhadji Diouf and Mamadou Niang being best sellers.

“People shouldn’t try to put all the weight of the team on Mamadou Niang’s shoulders. We are a team of 23 players who are all professionals. We will go to the Can with all of these young men. And we must rely on the collective and not on one individual player. This is a group that is capable of doing something positive in Ghana.”

Speaking of his trophy

“I must say that my appointment by the national sports press as the best footballer this year is a reward that makes me very happy. I was not expecting it but now that I have been elected, I will try my hardest to honour this award at the CAN”

He wanted to add that each and everyone of our opponents at the CAN will be more than dangerous. Wether Tunisa, Angola and South Africa, each of these countries have been to the World Cup so they are part of the cream of the african teams. I like that none of our players seems to be overlooking the compettion yet. One of the biggest senegalese flaws is thinkingsome games are won on talent alone and that could come back and bite us in our asses. Everybody must remember the first half against Guinea in the quarterfinal of the last CAN. They nearly beat us and that should not happen again.

Tony Sylva, Lamine Diatta, Souleymane Diawara, Ibrahima Sonko, Guirane Ndaw, Bayal Sall, Pape Bouba Diop, Diomansy Kamara, Frédéric Mendy, El Hadji Diouf, Mamadou Niang

The first two goals were scored by Diomansy Kamara who had an incredibly prolific game. The third one was all Henri Camara and what a beautiful goal it was by the “Gunning rabbit”. At half time, half the team was changed, notably mamadou Naing and Elhadji Diouf getting replaced. After a few minutes of taking used-to that brough tthe magnificent Namibian goal, everybody went back to work and won this one pretty easily.

Here is a video that is made of highlights of the game, a few half time interviews, a little backstory on Ghana organized world cups and finally a little subject on the fourth biggest town in Ghana, Tamalé, where we will face Tunisia, Angola and South Africa.

It’s in eleven days that the Lions of Senegal will enter the Cup, against Tunisia in Tamale (Rami and I won’t be talking trash, trust us) and the turbulent number 11 of the “Lions of Teranga” have people talking more about his performances in the nightclubs of Dakar than on the pitch, which gave him two consecutive African Player of the Year trophies (2001-2002). Yet it seems that the general public can’t seem to fall out of love with him like it has happened in similar cases all around Africa (Okocha, Bocandé, Adébayor, etc…). What’s the reason for his undying popularity?

“Diouf is the best Senegalese football player of all time and the Senegalese will never bea able to forget his performances from the World Cup in 2002. He’s the symbol of the team and an icon to his compatriots and as they say, when we love, we can forgive anything, so the public forgets escapades “

Mamadou Diouf (no relation), former president of the “Association Nationale de la Presse Sportive du Sénégal.

It’s true that in 2002, “Dioufy” as he’s called in England, allowed us Senegal to qualify for the first World Cup of our history and to reach the quarterfinals of the competition, after a more than symbolic victory during the opening match against France (1-0), former colonizer and reigning World Champions.
At the time Diouf was just the best damn player in France, period and dominated the whole competition, being traded to Liverpool before even reaching Korea. It must be said that at the time, the kid was just that, a kid that was promised to a more than bright future. If he hasn’t lost anything of his abilities, it seems that he decides to tun it on and off when he wants. Sometimes, it is just too late for the team that has been expecting marvels from the superstar. Let’s see how well he plays this year.

It must be said, to the credit of the Saint-louis native, that he has never been a locker-room cancer or an egocentric like his status could have let perceive. He genuinely seems to enjoy the company of his teammates and is the life of the party. And the armband wether we like it or not has been more than benefic for him since he seems to want to set an example even more now. I was more than pissed when Kasperczack took it from homebodies like Omar Daf and Habib Bèye to give it to him but it suits him.
Something else, Diouf has played nearly every position for the national team just for the sake of the team, to allow players like Niang and Kamara (or the Camaras - Henri or Souleymane) to be at a more comfortable position for them.
Let’s now forget the partying with Akon, the spitting on supporters and wthe boozing for a month Elhadji and maybe we can get back on top.

Someone who must be relieved and happy to be in the team is Babacar Guèye. The Metz player who did not participate at the 2006 ACN because he was deemed too young by the staff despitre having played and scored multiple times during the qualifying matches. He was replaced at the time by Issa Ba and Djiono Djiba. It made sense at the time but now that Bab’s is not having the best of years with metz, Kaspi calls him and makes him one of his choices as a striker, this will calm the frustration of someone who litterally bleeds the national colors.

One of the cases that made the senegalese press go nuts litterally was the one of Souleymane Diawara who after 14 months without being called up for being drunk and partying in 2006, he was expelled from the selection and never called up since. After a few phone calls, everything went back to normal but the press doesn’t know the influence this party boy will have on the team. I don’t either. The “man with the black gloves” is one of the best defenders in the Ligue 1 easily when he’s on. problem is that with him, the only games where you’tre sure he’ll be On are the ones on Canal+. Now let’s hope he stopped being childish in Charlton and finally lives up to the expectations.

Ibrahima Sonko is also someone who will have hel unleashed on him if his ACN is not the best ever. The Reading defender refused the NT many times before saying he wanted the french National Team to holla at him. The national press is used to that (Ibrahim Ba, Patrick Vieira, Patrice Evra, any of the Diarras, etc…), what they are less accustomed to is someone kinda insulting the country, saying shit like “The organization is not good enough for me to come anyways…” and stuff. So everyone went with the Oumar Dieng approach (For those who don’t know, Oumar Dieng was a famous senegalese player who played for PSG and refused the antional long enough to play for France once and be forgotten forever. He apologized on Tv saying how he would have loved to help his country in ACN and other competitions but was blinded by ambition.): We said “Good riddance.”. To see him on the team is bittersweet to me. I don’t like the guy but he’s a good player. Good enough to make me like him? I don’t think so.
Welcome to these fresh faces and good luck to them.