"Tu ne peux pas sortir de cette manière-là", ce que Mamadou Niang a dit à Sadio Mané lors de la finale de la CAN
Mamadou Niang, former striker for OM and Senegal, helped convince Sadio Mané to bring his teammates back onto the field during the Africa Cup of Nations final, won by Senegal against Morocco (1-0, aet) on January 18.
He was one of those who helped to restart the last Africa Cup of Nations final, won by Senegal against Morocco (1-0, aet). Mamadou Niang, former striker for OM and Senegal, whispered a few words in Sadio Mané's ear to convince him to bring back his teammates who had gone to the locker room with their coach Pape Thiaw, furious that a penalty had been awarded to Morocco in added time.
"He had the answer within him."
"When the players started leaving the pitch, he looked a bit doubtful, he didn't understand what was happening," Mamadou Niang explained on Canal+ Afrique on Monday. "At that moment, I was near the touchline. He looked at me and said, 'Mamad, what do I do?' I wanted to tell him he already knew the answer. But he just wanted some reassurance, some support. I quickly told him, 'You mustn't leave the pitch. We can see everything that's happening. I understand there's anger, frustration, but you have to finish this match. It might be your last AFCON, and you can't leave like this. If we have to lose, we'll lose, but not like this. We'll lose like men.'"
Sadio Mané had also had brief discussions with El-Hadji Diouf, another Senegalese football legend, and Frenchman Claude Le Roy, former coach of numerous African teams, who had also encouraged him to bring his teammates back. According to Mamadou Niang, Sadio Mané already knew that this was the right decision. "I could see in his eyes that it was the answer he already had," he continued. "When we were at the palace (during the title celebrations), he came to thank me for speaking with him, but I told him, 'Don't thank me because you already knew the answer.' Since he's a very team-oriented person, he was torn between following his team and his coach, or taking responsibility and telling the team to stay, and that's what he did."
#TDA 🌍: Mamadou Niang recounts his conversation with Sadio Mané that led to the Lions' return to the pitch during the final despite a great sense of frustration 🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/8NM1xYALiO
— CANAL+ SPORT Africa (@cplussportafr)
"There was a lot of commotion," continued the former Strasbourg player. "Claude (Le Roy) was on the sidelines too; he could see things were getting a bit chaotic. Those of us with that perspective and experience... In 2004, we wanted to leave the pitch (during the quarter-final against Tunisia), and luckily we didn't because we could have been in serious trouble. At one point, I wanted everyone to calm down, and the person best suited to bring the group back together was Sadio, given his influence and the fact that everyone listens to him. It was up to him to take that responsibility, which he did. He had to intervene at that moment."
The match resumed, and Brahim Diaz missed the chance to clinch the title for Morocco by completely botching his Panenka penalty. In extra time, Senegal finally snatched the victory with a magnificent strike from Pape Gueye.
Commentaires (4)
Un gars correct et toujours professionnel.
Honte à l'injustice et au vol. Fier de toi Pape Thiaw.
Donc si Sadio n'avait pas poser la question à gauche et à droite, fini la coupe du monde et la can.
Le président de le FSF manque de poigne et de leaderhsip.
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