Following the qualification of Mali and Senegal on Sunday for the semi-finals of the Under 20 World Cup, New Zealand 2015, the President of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou, quickly responded to honour the performance of both teams.
Hayatou hailed both teams.
He said: “First and foremost, I want to congratulate the players who displayed physical, tactical, technical, and mental abilities to get themselves to this level of the competition. Beyond just their countries, they are a plus to the continent as a whole. I equally congratulate the coaches of both teams who once more are showcasing the know-how of local technicians.”
Hayatou is in Canada for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
On Wednesday, Senegal will lock horns with Brazil in the first of the semi-finals, while Mali will clash with Serbia in the second.
A unique perspective for a 100 per cent African finals in a World Cup showing up.
The CAF President also invited all football-loving Africans to rally behind the Eaglets of Mali and the Lions of Senegal in supporting them to continue writing new pages in the history of African football in this competition.
He said: “Already, it was unusual to see Africa’s four representatives in this Under-20 World Cup, that is, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and Mali, qualify for the second round. We are confident of the potential of the young Senegalese and Malians, and encourage them to make it to the end. These results confirm our crusade against age racketeering in young categories and the intensification of the various capacity building programs for African coaches.”
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