Senegal’s Dia asks Africa to build on from excellence at junior level

Senegal’s head coach Saliou Dia says African football will succeed if it can build on from the success of teams at the junior levels, saying there is so much talent exposed and needs to be nurtured and guided to excel.

Dia has led Senegal to their first ever final at the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the tactician believes these are the players who will carry the country’s success in the next few years.

The tactician spoke to CAFOnline on the importance of nurturing players from this age group to ensure that African football reaches the next level.

What do you think of the work done by the Confederation of African Football, which attaches great importance to youth football?

The fact that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) knows that the success of African football starts from the lowest age group, then this is the solution for African football. With this in mind, I am sure that Africa will shine at the global level.

The year 2023 has been the year of African youth competitions. What can you say about them so far?

There has been the U20, now the U17 and soon there will be the U23 competitions. These competitions are always a good opportunity for players to develop. They give them a platform to take on the next steps of their careers, turn professional and start their journey as the future of African football.

Senegal has now won four titles in Continental competitions. Will the U17 team earn the fifth?

The U17 AFCON is a somewhat different competition. These players are young, and they have to show what they have.

Our goal was to go beyond the group stage and then from there take a game at a time. We prepared very well for this competition and now in the final, we will see what happens.

What do you think of the level of competition at the U17 AFCON?

The level of competition is very high and everyone wants to succeed. I am also happy with the level of our players as Senegal and we should encourage them and give them confidence to have the character to achieve results and give our country something.

A final word to the Senegalese fans?

They should pray for us and continue supporting is and we will in turn represent Senegal well.