Beninese football : Work for a coherent model

The recent elimination, without glory of the Squirrels of CAN Cameroon 2021, who held out his arms to them, caused all-out, a wave of indignation and recriminations from the fans of the national eleven. They shout haro on the donkey and want the scalp of the culprits of this resounding failure which deprives the country of another consecutive qualification after 2008- 2010. Much more, they fear a new descent into hell of anonymity, the return to the years of lead after the upturn in the interview in Egypt. Question to several strangers, how to avoid the dead end ?

First, let's make a statement. Benin is one of those rare countries on the continent that builds its football from the top. That is to say a country that invests without counting in the pennant team. An investment that shrinks as soon as you start by moving down to other selections that are almost neglected. The championship, a real barometer of the vitality of football in a country, is organized according to the signs of the horoscope. Result, this showcase competition, broke all records of irregularities while the country has continuously chained ten (10) CAN playoff participations between 2004 and 2021. Traveling across the continent at the expense of the princess, the pennant team has often organized greenhouses and friendly matches in Europe. What about basic training ? That of young footballers, nothing except the initiatives of a few reckless in an environment that has long remained legally hostile. So much it is true that in recent years, the government has decided to make up for lost time with sports classes, the sports associations which have come to supplement the existing under the seal of the partnership with FIFA. The other harsh realities are the lack of a formal training of trainers framework, as well as that of sworn managers. Once more, the government is making it its site in its desire to develop a sports economy. The nagging question of the National Technical Directorate cannot be overlooked., DTN which struggles to be operational and visible. So in Benin when we talk about football, we only see Squirrels A, no solidly structured clubs making their mark on the African scene (a semi-final, 1987, Gormahia, of the Ouémé Dragons in the late African Cup Winners' Cup in 50 years of participation in CAF statutory competitions). No deed of arms in the prestigious Champions League, only one round of 16 in 1984, As Real de Bamako, obtained by the same Dragons and their renowned expatriates of the time. While Togo next door has made a name for itself on the continent in clubs, before seeing his selection at CAN (1972, 1984) then at the World Cup (2006).

Nowadays, not a single participation in the CAN U17, no consistency among the U20s, no trace in the U23, and no participation in the final phase of CHAN, this is the scoreboard of Beninese football to date.

With such an observation, everyone can comment on what we still have to do, if we no longer want to suffer monumental disillusions like that of Conakry and continue by making Squirrels A, the tree that hides the tree-less forest of Beninese football. So let's find the right model, the sensible and coherent model.

Ouorou-roasted Babero