Football - Burkina Faso: First steps of Amir Abdou screened
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All original articlesAmir Abdou officially took the reins of the Étalons du Burkina Faso in March 2026, with the clear mission to qualify the team for the AFCON 2027 and to restore ambition to a selection that is looking to regain its former glory. His first two matches, played during the FIFA window against Guinea-Bissau at the Stade du 4-Août, provided a contrasting overview. A sensational entry followed by a more mixed exit. Enough to fuel the debates on the gradual implementation of his style.
A thunderous beginning, then a retreat
On Saturday, March 28, 2026, the Stallions of Burkina Faso crushed Guinea-Bissau by a 5-0 victory. A broad victory, built on clear domination and individualities in sight, notably with a hat-trick by the young Elohim Kaboré. The content seduced: intensity, offensive efficiency and a team that seemed liberated.
Four days later, on March 31, the return turned to a 1-1 draw. Adama Nagalo had opened the scoring for Burkina, but Fuscano Gomes equalised in the final minutes for Guinea-Bissau, who are revanchists and more aggressive. The face displayed by the Stallions was clearly less convincing: less fluidity, coherence and serenity, as the coach himself admitted in a press conference.
A coach who experiments without things
Amir Abdou had announced as soon as a group of 25 players was called that he wanted to see the world. He kept his word by massively rotating the squad between the two meetings. System changes, repositioning like Adamo Nagalo at the right-back position, entry of Mohamed Ouédraogo in place of Arsène Kouassi, and experiments were the hallmark of these two matches.
This courageous approach has its advantages and limitations, as highlighted by several observers: Ismaël Seydou Ganamé, sports journalist at Faso7:
"I remember that he is trying a lot of things. He implements his ideas. It will not come all at once. Rome was not built in a day. It might take 3, 4 or 5 matches before we really feel Amir Abdou’s touch. He wanted to see a lot of players, that’s why he made the spins. When you make them, you lose in automatisms and consistency. The level dropped drastically between the two matches, but we understand. Remove Arsène Kouassi to put Mohamed Ouédraogo, or place Nagalo (not a lateral formation) in place of Issa Kaboré, it feels in the game, defensively as well as offensively.”
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For Abdoulaye Sibiri: "Between the team that started the first match and the one tonight, the difference is clear! He tried almost all the players summoned. This will allow him to have a clear idea of his type eleven. Congratulations to him and good continuation.”
Romain Some concludes:
"I praise the coach’s courage in rotating the team. In the end, he will have all the weapons. He will not have decided alone to dismiss a player, but with the help of the player himself.”
Nuanced reactions on the part of observers and supporters
Sam Ouédraogo tempers the enthusiasm:
"Frankly, we all remained on our hunger. The results are not completely satisfactory, but we understand. Winning 5-0 is not easy for Guinea-Bissau, they have recovered. The 1-1 is passable, acceptable. We hope for better for the future. And why not win the AFCON one day with this new coach. Many already congratulate him, I would say: attention. All the coaches were acclaimed at the beginning. We must observe him, encourage him and hope that he will raise our flag to the highest level.
The coach, on his side, was lucid after the draw (1-1). He acknowledged a lack of serenity and consistency in the second match, while claiming to be satisfied with the overall result of this double confrontation which allowed him to test his options.
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Towards a clearer gaming identity in June?
These two releases confirm what Amir Abdou had suggested. It is not in a logic of immediate results at all costs, but in an observation and construction phase. The large turnover made the two teams almost unrecognizable from each other, with different systems and a logical loss of automatism.
Supporters and observers generally agree on one point. For them, it is still too early to draw final conclusions. As Ismaël Seydou Ganamé says, "during the month of June, we will see something else from Amir Abdou."
The Franco-Comorian technician has the courage of his convictions. He refuses to lock himself in a fixed type eleven of entry and prefers to make the field speak. Now it’s up to him to analyze the images, to decide on the profiles that best match his philosophy and to build a more stable, more coherent and above all more constant team.
The next meetings, probably in June, will be decisive to see if the Abdou style is really begins to take shape on the Stallions. Burkina Faso, which dreams of returning to the African summits, is carefully observing the first steps of its new guide.