As the 15th day of Senegal's Ligue 1 gets underway, Diambars and Génération Foot find themselves in troubled waters. Both academies have had a difficult first half of the season. Facing Sonacos and US Gorée respectively this weekend, Diambars and GF enter the final 12 for their survival in L1.
Seasons come and go.
Reigning Senegalese champions Génération Foot, 11th in the standings, are fighting for their survival in the top flight this season. Diambars, meanwhile, are in a similar predicament, in 12th place and the first non-relegated relegation zone. The return phase will be a real test of resilience for the Déni and Saly academies.
A handicapped start to the season
One of the reasons for Génération Foot's and Diambars' difficulties is undoubtedly linked to the decision taken by the Senegalese Football Federation just a few days before the start of the season. At least, that's what Djiby Fall, appointed GF coach at the end of February following the Grenats' negative spiral, thinks. In fact, we've played away from home in all 26 games this season," he begins. We used to host Déni in our own facilities. That was also our strength.
Diambars are also in the same situation, having been banned from hosting matches at their home stadium, the Stade Fodé Wade. Aside from the more serious financial implications, this federal decision is also having an impact on the way these two teams play and on their automatisms, according to Astou Thiam, a soccer consultant specializing in local Senegalese soccer.
"The "artificial" mini-crisis at the start of the season with this tussle with the league and the Federation didn't help these two academies mentally.Seeing all their home matches relocated to the Lat-Dior stadium, where they have to find new landmarks and get used to them, didn't help at all," she explained.
The success of training at Génération Foot and Diambars is not all good news in a sporting season. These two academies have undergone a real facelift, which is not all good. It's no surprise to those familiar with the league, given the many departures during the off-season," notes Astou Thiam. There were a lot of departures at the end of last season at both GF and Diambars. When GF loses 15 to 20 players, regulars and major title contenders, without any quality replacements, that's what you'd expect. Diambars sold a large part of last season's squad. And, like GF, has opted for a team with little or no experience".
At Génération Foot, the price of success has an impact on sporting results. The entire squad, which will be champions of Senegal in 2023, was sold this summer. The new squad, comprising players from the cadet and junior sections, is also being coveted, this time by Senegalese national teams. The team is in a difficult situation where it's under threat," admits Djiby Fall. This can be explained by the fact that throughout the first phase, Génération Foot had a lot of players in its national teams, including the U.17s, who were at the World Cup with its numerous gatherings. The coach (ex-coach Balla Djiba) didn't often have his full squad at his disposal.
On the Diambars side, fingers are pointed at the strategic choices made at the start. "At Diambars, we have a philosophy of play. This year, we've recruited quite a few players and they don't necessarily have this Diambars philosophy in them. It's like taking English players trained in kick and rush and incorporating them at La Masia. Half the players play long balls while the other half play progressive conservation. Many of our recruits haven't adapted to our game. That's our main problem this season.The mayonnaise isn't taking and it's normal that the results aren't following suit," admits Salif Keïta, forwards coach at Diambars.
