Five reasons why Senegal’s Teranga Lions flopped at the 2012 Afcon

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The outfit itself, endowed with a number of world class stars, saw little adversity on the horizon as they began to believe the hype surrounding them and their billing as favourites to win the entire event. Their preparations were focused on potential threats in the knockout rounds in the form of Morocco and Ghana.

Even the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire were no cause of concern for the Senegalese, because of recent historic advantage, but little did they know that their egos and misguided focus would see them tumble at the first hurdle while losing to Zambia, Libya and the worst ranked side in the competition, co-hosts Equatorial Guinea.

Total Dejection | Demba Ba couldn't find the back of the net at the 2012 Afcon

Senegal’s downfall at the 2012 Afcon began the day they shockingly lost their opener to Zambia. Sources close to the setup told Goal.com that the shock greatly overwhelmed both the coach and players. They never expected a frustration so soon at the showpiece.

“If the team had accepted the loss in good faith and quickly gathered themselves with enough fighting spirit into the next game, they would have won against the Nzalang Nacional,” the source said.

Losing one match does not mean losing the tournament, but the Teranga Lions were unable to put the first shock behind them and stage a comeback, so the Chipolopolo had set their destiny right from the first encounter, and they did not have the resilience to adjust their fate.

How good was Amara Traore? Many never cared. Was he rich in experience to the point where he was ready and capable of managing such a star-studded team? “He knows what the people want from the team,” was the unanimous response from officials. But knowing what, and knowing how are two very different things.

The 46-year-old former Senegal international jumped from managing a local ASC Linguere based in Saint Louis, near Dakar, to handling the African team with the highest number of Europe-based professionals, with just two years experience on his CV.

He seemed to have the tools to work with but local pundits say he lacked pragmatism, and began moving with the rough wind instead of striving to control it.

Senegal’s situation is akin to a gallon of red oil left to drop from a height until it splashes to stain those surrounding the spot where it hits. The FA officials as well as the sports ministry have their share of responsibility. After the expiration of the coach’s two-year contract in December, both sides delayed a renewal, with the local media speculating that there were talks to hire a foreign manager.

Amara Traore quietly abandoned the outfit to his hometown with his family while negotiations continued between the FA and the ministry, only to come to fruition in his favour days before the team’s departure for the tournament. Not the best confidence boost for the team or their coach.

Although we failed at the 2012 Afcon, I will not resign because I have built a good and strong team which remains one to be reckoned with in Africa                                                                             - Coach Amara Traore

And on the pitch too, many saw how the stars from the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Super Lig lagged behind in fighting for the ball and playing with a competitive attitude, as if nothing was really at stake.

Their individual and collective mentalities in the matches they played were simply not up to the standard required of an Afcon tournament, and they have themselves to blame, at least partially, for the way in which they let down their country and the fans who believed in their ability to be champions.