Eliminated in the quarter-finals of the by the Leopards of DR Congo (3-1), Guinea returned to Conakry on the morning of Sunday February 4, 2023.Coach Kaba Diawara, whose mission was to lead the Syli National to at least the semi-finals, failed to achieve his main objective. Despite a historic victory in the Round of 16, the coach's future is in doubt, even though he has the support of the President of the Guinean Football Federation (Féguifoot).
In tears after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in the Round of 16, Kaba Diawara and Guinea lost 1-3 to DR Congo in the quarter-finals. Following the Syli's elimination at the hands of the Leopards, the question of the coach's future at the helm of the Syli came up again. Having arrived at the head of the national team just over two years ago, the coach's mission was to qualify Guinea for at least the semi-finals of the AFCON in Côte d'Ivoire. A goal he failed to achieve. Even though he became the first Syli coach to win a knockout phase... The Guinean coach is nonetheless satisfied. "Two years ago, we were knocked out in the Round of 16, which really hurt us. Now we're here and we've been criticized a lot. People didn't necessarily have confidence in us. So we had to prove ourselves. You always have to prove yourself, it's that simple," reacted Kaba Diawara, with tears in his eyes after the victory over Equatorial Guinea.
Now it's time to look higher up
While the coach's future is a matter of debate, he has announced his intention to continue his adventure at the helm of Guinea. "After what we've been through, we've seen that there were some good things, we've put in place a system of play, we have to insist. We're going to have to work. We know where we need to improve. We pay cash to learn each time. The boys gave it their all. We lost in the quarter-finals, but we've reached a new stage.Now we need to go higher," declared Kaba Diawara.
He continued."We've done a bit better than two years ago, and we've proved that we're progressing.Soccer is like that, you have to learn. As far as the competition as a whole is concerned, it has to be said that with a younger squad, we've made progress. That's what's important," said the Guinean coach. Having brought young players such as Ibrahima Diakité, Aguibou Camara and Sékou Oumar Sylla to the fore, the Guinean coach can now boast solid arguments for pursuing an ambitious project, notably with the arrival of a number of dual nationals to strengthen the Syli National squad.
The President of Féguifoot in support...
With this in mind, Kaba Diawara can count on considerable support.Indeed, at the end of the match against DR Congo that marked the end of Guinea's AFCON adventure, coach Kaba Diawara and his assistant Fousseni Diawara were seen hand-in-hand with the president of the Guinean Football Federation (Féguifoot), taking a lap of honor in the direction of the fans. The President of Guinean soccer's governing body's gesture to the coach is being interpreted in different ways. According to our colleagues at 100%FOOT, the president told Kaba Diawara and his staff that they would be continuing their adventure at the head of the Syli National.
But watch out for the contract
However, the Guinean coach's future does not depend solely on Féguifoot president Bouba Sampil.Indeed, under the terms of his contract, the coach's main mission was to qualify the Syli for at least the semi-finals of the AFCON 2023. A meeting has been scheduled with the Ministry of Sports to decide the fate of the Guinean coach. If the failure to achieve his main objective leads to his dismissal, Kaba Diawara will be able to count on considerable support. Newly elected president of the Féguifoot, Bouba Sampil has promised to keep the coach in his post. Received with great fanfare in Conakry, despite their elimination in the quarter-finals, there is every reason to believe that the adventure between Kaba Diawara and the Syli is not likely to end any time soon. For the time being, no decision has been announced regarding Kaba Diawara's future, but the subject is once again hotly debated. A meeting between the various parties is scheduled to take place shortly in Conakry to decide the fate of the Guinean coach. While some want him to leave, others are calling for him to stay on, to enable him to complete the rebuilding of the Guinean national team that began when he took over a little over two years ago.
