Africa-Press – Senegal. The use of new players to constitute the squad of the national A team of Senegal supposed to play against Rwanda is “a technical choice” and an “opportunity” for the local football, supported, Friday, in Dakar, the national technical director (DTN) of Senegalese football, Mayacine Mar.
For the last day of the qualifiers for the next African Cup of Nations (CAN) scheduled for 2024 in Ivory Coast, Senegal called on 31 players who have never played for the senior national team.
This squad, which will meet the Rwandan team in Huye, in the south of Rwanda, on September 9, will be led by coaches Malick Daff and Pape Bouna Thiaw.
It is made up of players from the national under-20 team and footballers from the local national team.
« Aliou Cissé cannot summon everyone. When we have an opportunity like this, we [seize it] right away, » argued Mayacine Mar, speaking of the use of players different from those who played the first five days of the CAN qualifiers.
He commented on this decision while taking part in the publication, by the national coach, Aliou Cissé, of the list of 25 players selected for the international friendly match between Senegal and Algeria on September 12.
« Rwandans can expect a team made up of Sadio Mané and other players. But, in any case, it will be a Senegal national team which will be in Huye. This is the most important thing, » said Mayacine Mar.
« The main thing is already done. Senegal has already qualified, and Rwanda has been eliminated from [next year’s] CAN. The match has no stakes, but we are going there to play a qualifying match, » underlined the DTN.
Senegal has decided to play “interim” footballers, as in 2016, said Aliou Cissé, specifying that he had not made up the list of Malick Daff and Pape Bouna Thiaw.
In 2016, “I went, with my staff, to play an A team match in Colombia. I once went to South Africa and Niger to do the same thing. Our technical management has always worked like that, » argued the national coach as justification for the choice made by the DTN for the match against Rwanda.
« It’s an opportunity » to be able to employ new players in the national team, he argued, considering that the « chance » was given to the players who had to go to Rwanda.
« This allows us […] to open up this reservoir of Senegalese players that I cannot call into the A team. We give them the opportunity to play. The group that will go to Rwanda will constitute the future of the Senegal team, » added Cissé.
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