“I already have the t-shirts, the armbands and the pins, now there’s the cup! » And, this time, Abdou Nam firmly believes in it. The former soldier has just bought a green, yellow and red flag, the national colors, from a street vendor to attach it to his vehicle rear-view mirror and thus complete his panoply of supporters.
Like him, on the eve of the final of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) which opposes, Sunday February 6 at 8 p.m. (local time), at the Paul-Biya-Olembé omnisports stadium, in Yaoundé, the Lions of the Teranga to the Pharaohs of Egypt – seven times winners – the people of Dakar are getting ready.
The stakes are high: this is the third time that Senegal have found themselves in the CAN final, but they have never won the trophy in almost sixty years, despite their status as favourites. In 2002, in Bamako, the Senegalese national team was beaten by Cameroon, 3 to 2 on penalties. Ten years later, in Cairo, it is still a defeat in the final (1 to 0), against Algeria. So, today, the expectations are immense.
In Dakar, giant screens have been installed in several public spaces, notably on the African Remembrance Square or on the esplanade of the African Renaissance Monument. Restaurants and bars hung the flags from the windows, as did the motorbikes, taxis and cars that criss-cross the Senegalese capital. Many passers-by are already wearing the T-shirt of the selection, and the latecomers are busy with the last purchases.
The semi-final has finished reassuring the supporters
In front of the Sandaga market, in the city center, Ismail sells green and white jerseys, piled on the ground. “These are not the originals, but they are sold for 10,000 CFA francs [15 euros] instead of 4,000 CFA francs [6 euros], because we don’t have a lot of stock anymore”he explains.
A little further in his shop, other jerseys – originals, he says – that the buyer can personalize with his name on the back, sell for up to 30,000 CFA francs (45 euros). Replicas of the 2002 jersey, when Senegal beat France in the World Cup, are also all the rage.
Even if he will stay at home with his parents to watch the match, Djiby Seck, a 21-year-old apprentice footballer in a club in a popular district of Dakar, has already bought his own. “With its players who come from European clubs, the Senegalese team has all the means to win the final. But we will have to play truly collective! » he warns.
After three unconvincing group games – two draws and only one goal scored – the fans gradually regained hope with the knockout matches (2-0 against Cape Verde and 3-1 against Equatorial Guinea). The semi-final won 3-1 against Burkina Faso ended up reassuring. “At the start of the AFCON, we had several injured players or players positive for coronavirus, but for the final, everyone is there, we have the best team in Africa”rejoices Djiby Seck.
Fans expect a lot from Ismaïla Sarr from Watford (England), Idrissa Gueye and Abdou Diallo from Paris-Saint-Germain, Edouard Mendy from Chelsea (England) and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli (Italy). Djinn Seck, he wants to become a professional, “like Sadio Mané”the number 10 striker who plays in Liverpool, England, and will face his club teammate, Egyptian Mohamed Salah, on Sunday.
“The players are excellent, but hats off also to the coach, Aliou Cissé, who takes us to the final for the second time”, rejoices Dada Sy, who has gone to see all the matches of the competition since January 9 in a restaurant in the Point-E district to support the national team with her husband and friends. Fans are also betting heavily on the Lions defense, which has only conceded two goals since the start of the competition. Dada Sy is not worried. “The God of Football is with us”she assures.
