On Saturday, Senegal and Algeria will be facing off in the quarter-finals in Aix en Provence. A place in the last four is within reach, as well as the chance to win the continental title, which is synonymous with qualification for 2023 World Cup. Before the meeting, Maître Guédel Ndiaye, president of the Senegalese Rugby Federation, talks about the chances of Lions on this meeting and returns to the truncated preparation of his team, for lack of means.
Master Guédel Ndiaye (in white), president of the Senegalese Rugby Federation.
How will the Senegal team get to this quarter-final match against Algeria?
We lost to Algeria only once, in Toulouse. We must admit that they have a far better preparation than we, and I insist on that fact. We did what we could with the resources available, but we did it without them. We received nothing from the State of Senegal over a long period of time. Three days ago, they sent some money. This will be helpful for the competition as we have 10 days. That means players have to pay, maintenance to be paid, and equipment to be paid for. This money would have been required for preparation. We could only make two small groups because we didn’t have the means.
What does your opponent see?
Algeria is fortunate to have the support of the State, which is a huge help. They saw the potential for rugby to succeed after the disappointments of football during CAN 2021 as well as during the 2022 World Cup play-offs. They are the best in the world. It would be a good thing for them, and it would make people forget about the terrible times that football has gone through.
“I have never seen a Senegal team so motivated.”
So, let’s hear you: Algeria is the favorite in this match?
Without a doubt. She is the overwhelming favourite. They have many players in Pro D2, and in the Top 14. And then they are better prepared. Senegal is blessed with a strong team. There are players in Federal 1 and Pro D2. Some of our players are local, but we have some very good ones. They may not be at the same level of French players, but they have a positive mindset. We have a motivated group that is good from this perspective. We have been telling them that Algeria will participate in the World Cup. They want to surprise us. Senegal will be their first obstacle to getting to the World Cup.
What were the last echoes from the group before this match began?
I have never seen Senegal’s team so motivated. I went to their training and was impressed at everyone’s participation. Yet, it is far from the team we had in the past with famous players.
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That was despite the fact that the preparation was sloppy because of lack of resources.
It’s possible, especially considering that Algeria opposite is under pressure from their leaders. Their president is an extraordinary individual whom I admire. He would sacrifice his life to see his country reach the World Cup. But he places enormous pressure on them. The State has also put financial pressure on them to ensure the best possible conditions. Now they wait for a result. This pressure can be both motivating and paralyzing. We in Senegal expect that the second option will be chosen. Our players should know that if they lose, we will ask them to get back on track and to concentrate on the two class matches to place among the top 6 Africans. We will not be playing international matches in order to compete in the 2023 World Cup. In order to play tournaments, we are going to negotiate matches for European teams like Catalonia, Belgium and Bulgaria. We must finish in the top five or six places if we want transcontinental tournaments. We will be there to remobilize and win these classification matches. The Algerian side knows that if they lose to us, it will be a disaster.
Source: sportnewsafrica
