Badra Ali Sangare returned from the Afcon, which was hosted by his native Cote d'Ivoire, as a champion. Yes, he never featured in a single game as Yahia Fofana was ever-present between the sticks. It was the most incredible tournament characterized by shock results, so-called big-name countries being booted out and minnows coming out to play. Not to mention the spectacular, memorable goals and awe-inspiring goalkeeping. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Thomas Kwenaite, the Sekhukhune United shot-stopper reveals the behind-the-scenes build-up to his country's triumph and the emotional rollercoaster as they were virtually eliminated but somehow scraped through the backdoor and then conjured up the kind of performances that can only be described as miraculous to win the coveted prize!
Thomas Kwenaite: How does that gold medal hanging around your neck feel?
Badra Ali Sangare: I cannot find words to describe it, except… it feels good. It feels like I didn't abandon everything for nothing. I'm very proud of myself because this thing (medal) money can't buy. It is only the blessing of God and the hard work and everything else. You have been involved in football for quite some time and you know that there are no shortcuts to achieve this medal.
TK: In the opening match of the Afcon, Ivory Coast won 2-0. Easy stuff, great start.
BAS: I think this game (against Guinea-Bissau) … it's only my opinion, but I think it made us feel big, like we had arrived. Like we were superpowers and untouchable and, after that, God decided to punish us!
TK: Whoa, hold on! What do you mean?
BAS: We won 2-0, but quite frankly, we didn't do much. We were supposed to be humble, to respect our opponents, respect the game as well because in soccer, if you are not humble, the game will humble you. That is what happened to us. We became pompous, overconfident and perhaps even untouchable. Even me, I felt the same, that our team was beyond all the others. That is not a good mentality. In a way, God punished us in the following matches (1-0 loss to Nigeria and 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea). I think we suffered those losses as God's way to bring us down to earth.
TK: What was the atmosphere like following that infamous 4-0 loss?
BAS: I cannot lie, it was the worst moment of our careers, especially for a national team which is organizing the Afcon. For a country like Ivory Coast with so much quality and we bombed out on our own ground, in front of our own supporters, families … man, that was unbelievable! We didn't know whether we should go to training the next day or pack our bags and go our different ways to our respective clubs. After two days, we did go to training but used alternative routes because the streets were full of angry supporters that threatened to burn down our bus. It was hectic. What kept us going was when the State President visited us and encouraged us.
TK: At that stage, did you even think you might still be in the tournament?
BAS: Not at all. Okay, we kept the faith and prayed for a miracle, but in truth, we knew we were dead and buried and there was nothing else we could do but pray! We prayed hard for divine intervention, just for God to grant us a small chance, a miracle perhaps. We were barricaded in the dressing room until 03h00 the next morning. People were angry outside the stadium, waiting for us to come out, and heaven knows what they intended doing. The following day, we were visited by the FA President Idriss Diallo. Then later, the State President Alassane Ouattara also paid us a visit and told us he believed in us.
TK: Then a miracle happened?
BAS: I think you can call it a miracle or that our incessant prayers were answered. First, Mozambique staged a remarkable fightback to salvage a 2-2 draw against Ghana, who would have gone through. Morocco also prevailed against Zambia and we were back into the tournament through the backdoor. You see the power of prayer? Everything was aligned. If you don't believe in God, who else are you supposed to believe in? It is only God who has the power to say, 'My son, I gave you chances, but now it's over!'
TK: When did the team find out that coach Jean-Louis Gasset had been fired?
BAS: It was soon after the 4-0 loss that the FA President visited us to encourage us to keep praying and to believe, that he informed us coach Jean-Louis Gasset had resigned. Apparently, the coach felt that after that heavy loss, he didn't know how to bounce back and felt the best way was to give way.
TK: What was the relationship like with the coach?
BAS: It was okay. He spoke to us like his own sons. He encouraged us, talking to us very nice. But for him also, it was the first time that he was coaching a national team in Africa. I guess it was a learning curve for him also. You see, there is a vast difference between European and African football. He realised this and, after a few months, he called up legendary former international goalkeeper Alain Gouamene to advise him about what African soccer was like and how he could succeed and turn the Elephants into a better team.
TK: What was the one thing that he needed to understand about African football?
BAS: African football is very hard, very difficult. When you are playing in Europe, for example, defenders will prefer you to dribble as long as you don't score. In Africa, defenders do not want you to dribble. They close you down quickly. They don't give you space. You see the difference? In African football, players can run 90 minutes without so much as to conform to tactics… just, let's go! Look at Guinea Equatorial. Who actually knew them? But in the end, we suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss at their hands.
TK: Isn't it maybe the problem with European coaches when they arrive in Africa, that they do not adapt to Africa but want Africans to adapt to Europe?
BAS: I agree fully with you on that score. When they come to Africa, they like the big-name players as well as the big-name club you come from, but football is not about big names or big clubs. Sometimes you may play for a big club, but you end up not performing to their required standard and sometimes you just relax, too confident and play below expectations. But still, the coach will prefer those players.
TK: After the opening game you guys lost to Nigeria. Were you as a team worried?
BAS: No, we were not worried at all. I think we could have even lost 4-0 against Nigeria and I'm sure the people would still have understood because Nigeria is a big country. We lost to Nigeria, but if you check the statistics of the game, they didn't do anything fancy or something extraordinary. They just parked the bus and counter attacked. But still, even after that loss, we somehow felt we could qualify for the group stage. We didn't anticipate the shocking humiliation against Equatorial Guinea.
TK: How did the team spend the next three days before you knew you had somehow qualified for the knockout stages?
BAS: We didn't go to training the next day, we were still shell-shocked. Then the second day, we went to do gym work only and by the third day we went to training. All the time, we prayed very hard! By the way, going to training we had to dodge around and used unfamiliar routes because we were scared the supporters would waylay our bus and maybe even stone or burn it. They were still that angry!
TK: What role did legendary Didier Drogba play throughout the tournament?
BAS: He came into the dressing room after we lost to Nigeria in the group stage. He encouraged us not to drop our heads but to keep fighting and even told us that we could finish third in our group and still proceed to win the tournament. He gave us the example of Portugal who finished third behind Hungary and Iceland during the 2016 Euro tournament, but went on to win the tournament, defeating France 1-0 in the final. After that, he left the dressing rooms and never entered that space again until after the final.
TK: You mentioned earlier that the coach resigned, but the information we received was that he was fired!
BAS: I don't think the coach was fired. He resigned. That is the information we were given by the Federation President. Then our big brothers, Alain Gouamene and Emerse Fae, were appointed. They talked to us and you could feel the atmosphere changing the minute they addressed us. You could tell they knew us better as players and as individuals and somehow, we felt that should we get a second chance, we would go far.
TK: What did Fae tell you all when he was appointed?
BAS: He didn't say or do much. In any case, he wasn't new to the national team set-up. He had been with us for a considerable period of time as assistant. In his favour, he knows African football and has played in the Afcon tournament. He has also played in Europe and understood the demands of the tournament as well as the mentality of African players who are in Europe. I think he also realised that tactically we were not disciplined. If you check our matches in the group stage, you will notice the difference, but in the knockout stages under Fae, we were a completely different team.
TK: What was the game plan against the Super Eagles in the final?
BAS: They had defeated us in the group stage, but quite frankly, they didn't do much in that game. They were predictable and we studied our previous game – they simply parked their bus and tried to catch us on a counter. It worked for them in the group stage, but this time we were tactically disciplined and broke down their plan. They didn't have Plan B and that is how we overcame them.
TK: As a goalkeeper yourself, how did you feel when you watched Bafana's Ronwen Willians exploits throughout the tournament?
BAS: Beautiful performance. Before the tournament, I was interviewed by a journalist from South Africa. I told him that he must follow and support Bafana Bafana because I honestly felt they would surprise a lot of people in that tournament. I had seen them when we played them to a 1-1 draw in a friendly a few months prior to the tournament. They proved me right as they won the bronze medal and were the most enterprising team in the tournament. Williams is a good goalkeeper with a solid defence in front of him and he didn't disappoint.
TK: What do you think made South Africa get that far in the Afcon?
BAS: The fact that they have established a solid domestic league with world-class facilities and incredible sponsors worked in their favor. Their clubs are continuously in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup group stages. Mamelodi Sundowns won the inaugural African Football League and the bulk of the Bafana players came from Sundowns. These are the reasons South Africa did so well at this tournament.
TK: Your team, Sekhukhune United, has advanced in the Nedbank Cup…
BAS: Yeah. I didn't play because I had just returned from the Afcon, but I watched the team and they dug deep to eliminate a stubborn Highlands Park 5-4 on penalties after the game had ended 1-1.
TK: Following a gallant performance in the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup, Babina Noko unfortunately cannot progress to the knockout stages.
BAS: We needed to win against RSB Berkane in Polokwane to keep in touch with the top two clubs, but Jamie Webber received a red card and, with a man down, we tried our best against the former winners of this tournament, but it was just not our day. The game ended goalless and we can no longer catch up with the top two teams. However, it has been an exciting journey for the club and management.
TK: You qualified for the competition after losing to Orlando Pirates in the final of last season's Nedbank Cup.
BAS: Yes. Losing a cup final is always painful, but it is the laws of football. I would like to win this trophy for the president of the club and the supporters of the club and write a name for ourselves into the history of the club and South African football. Our objective is to finish among the Top Eight in the league. We will do everything to achieve this and also go as far as possible in the Nedbank Cup as well.
