Souleymane Diallo Shares Preparation Insights, Champions’ Mentality, and CHAN's Key Role in Domestic Football

Senegal's head coach Souleymane Diallo discussed the burden of defending the continental championship and his team's careful preparations ahead of the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Diallo, who succeeded Pape Thiaw after Senegal won the African Nations Championship in 2022, underlined the need of approaching the competition calmly and strategically.

"We cannot allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by pressure," Diallo explained, noting that while Senegal is the defending champion, the current squad features many new faces. Only two players from the 2022 title-winning team, Serigné Koita and Aboudoulaye Dieng, remain.

Diallo emphasized how important the CHAN is to the growth of local football. He said, "The CHAN reflects the level of the country's domestic league," emphasizing the competition's function in promoting regional talent.

The experienced coach also drew from his extensive pan-African experience, having led Senegal in several continental and world competitions. Diallo is certain that his squad will be ready for the next event in spite of the difficulties. He went on to say that it is challenging to pick the winner since African teams are always honing their strategies for dealing with both internal and external performance-affecting issues.