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Mass mobilization
the face Pape Tiau, Senegal coachAn urgent appeal to the Senegalese community in New York and beyond to give their full support to the national team when they face France in the FIFA World Cup opener on Tuesday to compensate for the absence of fans from Senegal due to the visa policy.
Thiau called on fans in the US to support the team to make up for the absence of local fans who were unable to travel to support the team.
Senegal will not have its traditional fans at this World Cup due to visa restrictions imposed on the country by the US government, as the West African nation is one of several countries on the continent whose citizens have to pay a higher fee to enter the US and are more likely to have their visa applications rejected.
The Teranga Lions are usually well supported at international tournaments by organized fan associations, including the Gainde League, who regularly appear with their faces and bodies painted in the Senegalese flag and dance during matches.
“This is a political issue and I generally prefer to do sports, but of course we would like our fans to be with us, they push us forward, especially in difficult moments,” he said at a press conference during the match against France. “This is a political issue.
In return, the Senegalese team hopes to draw support from Senegalese fans based in France, in addition to a large expat community based in North America.
Manhattan has a Senegalese community estimated at around 20,000 people, centered around the enclave of “Little Senegal” in Central Harlem, while the cities of Chicago and Montreal also have large expatriate communities.
Thiau believes these North American fans can help compensate for fans who can’t travel from Africa.
“We have a large community of Senegalese here and we know that Senegalese are very patriotic. They love their national team. You will see it tomorrow and you will not believe that there are no Senegalese from Senegal. They are doing a lot of good things here and I am sure that tomorrow we will have Senegalese fans and supporters with us and they will support us.”
The 45-year-old coach believes the enthusiastic and loud support from the stands could make the difference for Senegal in what is expected to be a closely contested game.
“It will be a difficult match in France with strong players. We know how important it is to start the tournament well. It’s important to build trust early and help build team spirit. We realize that and it won’t be easy, but we are ready and willing to face this team. We have our own weapons and we can beat any team if we do everything right.”
