Mauritania: The rise of Africa’s emerging football force

Lions of Chinguetti, '' as the Mauritanian national team is affectionately called, are proving their predatory instincts in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire. The past five years have seen Mauritanian football coming to the limelight. We are talking about a country that lost 14-0 to Guinea five decades ago. With proper planning, they have made giant strides in football on the African continent in the past few years. ALSO READ: Mauritania embark on final preps Mauritania is a country located in West Africa on the western crossroad to North Africa. It is largely covered by the Sahara desert with only a few portions being habitable. Their football journey has been a modest one until recently. In 18 years, dating between 1995 and 2013, they never won a single football match. Economically, they were in a deep financial crisis because of drought as livestock rearing is among their main source of living. Mauritania withdrew themselves from the AFCON 2010 qualifiers because they could not afford travel expenses for the national team among other logistical constraints. Things, however, took a great turn in 2011 when Ahmed Yahya was voted as the Football Federation president. He restructured the league. The country's mega telecommunication company Mauritel began sponsoring the league and a bit of money was pumped into it. Mauritania started developing their local players and, in 2014, they defeated Liberia in Monrovia which was their first ever away win in football. Through the visionary leadership of Ahmed Yahya, Mauritania used €10m FIFA Goal Project funds to renovate their national stadium which was in ruins. They went ahead to build training facilities and started camping U15 players in a special youth development program. During a tour of Africa, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino commended Mauritania as one of the few African countries which has used the FIFA funds wisely besides rendering good accountability. With the right structures in place, Mauritania qualified for the AFCON in 2019 in Egypt. Their clubs especially FC Nouadhibou started to make an impact also in CAF Competitions. They again made it to the AFCON 2021 in Cameroon with the core of the players being from the U15 squad that they had groomed previously. Regarding the AFCON 2023 qualification, Mauritania finished second in Group I which comprised DR. Congo, Gabon and Sudan. They amassed 10 points against DR Congo’s 12. The latter qualified as group leaders. Coached by Comoros Island gaffer Amir Abdou, Mauritania have really proved their mettle in the ongoing AFCON as only a few would imagine that they would get a single point from a Group which also had Angola, Burkina Faso and Algeria. They lost 1-0 to Burkina Faso through a 95th minute Bertrand Traore penalty, they again lost 3-2 to Angola in a game which is arguably the best game of the tournament so far before defying all odds to beat 2019 Champions Algeria 1-0 to grab one of the round of 16 tickets for best third placed teams. It was the first AFCON victory that the country has ever registered. Out of their 27-man squad for the ongoing AFCON, six players including star player Sidi Bouna Amar who scored a superb goal against Angola feature in the Mauritanian league whereas the others mostly play in lower tier leagues around Europe. One key player who has carried Mauritania in the AFCON 2023 is Aboubakary Koita. The striker, who plies his trade at Belgian second tier side FC Sint Truiden, was born in Senegal to a Mauritanian-Malian father and a Senegalese father. He had the chance to represent other two nations but chose Mauritania. His goal against Angola is arguably the best goal in the tournament so far. Mauritania were drawn against Cape Verde in the round of 16 game due on Monday, January 29. The Lions of Chinguetti go into the clash with an upper hand at the expense of the Cape Verdeans, having recorded a win and a draw against their next opponents. Their victory over Algeria further gives them the needed courage to face a free scoring Cape Verde team. Mauritania is no pushover and they can cause havoc on any day. Coach Abdou has, in the past, defeated even bigger teams like Ghana and Algeria in the AFCON. Mauritania could eventually make it to the quarter finals. It's an uphill task but no one should underestimate them. They have proved doubters wrong.

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Mauritania: The rise of Africa’s emerging football force