CAN 2021, storms in sight

The contours of the next CAN are almost drawn. The date of the draw is known , the 25 Next june, and the competition schedule unveiled , of 09 January to 06 February 2022 by the emergency committee of the African Football Confederation, CAF. From now on, each qualified selection can project on what will be its CAN in ten months in Cameroon by gauging its capacities. One thing is certain and certain, there will only be one winner at the end. And as in any competition of this level, there will be favorites, des outsiders, and surprises. So who can don the whiskers costume ? On paper, these are the teams whose performance curve is constantly changing over time. A status that must be confirmed in the field.

This premise leads us to take an interest in the effervescence that is already being observed at the level of certain teams whose technical frameworks are under fire from critics and even vilified.. This is the case of Senegal, where the press blows on Aliou CISSÉ, taken in flu by part of the public after the two draws recorded against Congo in Brazzaville and especially the match against Eswatini at home. Since 2017, the Lions have passed a course under his rule, to the point of taking first place in the FIFA Africa zone ranking. But all this seems insufficient in the eyes of fans who swear by a coronation at CAN Cameroon 2021 after the lost final, two years ago in Egypt against Algeria. Or, it is the serenity around him, which is the key to the successes recorded by the former PSG player. In the current context dominated by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Lions lovers of the land of térangua should remember that an addition of talent does not make a winning team. This cuvée des Lions, is not the best generation that Senegal has known. The excellent players, there have always been since the Jules BOCANDÉ, Cheikh SECK to Sadio MANÉ today via El-hadj DIOUF, Mamadou NIANG. Except that it was the winning that was often lacking. A weakness that Aliou CISSÉ is working to correct, he who captain in 2002 missed his attempt in the penalty shoot-out in the final against Cameroon. So, rot the atmosphere around the team at this precise moment, is a bad bet, on the eve of the qualifiers for the Qatar World Cup 2022.

Another country where it rumbles, Guinea where Sily's game is below expectations. Didier SIX is singled out. Some voices are already rising to claim his head, those who dream of seeing Guinea qualify for a World Cup finals. It’s not the serenity in the host nation’s rank, either.. Conçaceio's coaching is in doubt after loss in Cape Verde combined with draw against Rwanda.

The tone has just been set by the news, and if we are not careful, this wind may affect teams especially suited to go far in the competition. Attention !

OUOROU-BAKE Babero