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Senegal Hopes To Name New Coach Within Two Weeks

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The president of the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) says he hopes to name a new coach within two weeks.

Augustin Senghor explained Senegal’s recent presidential elections had slowed the search for a replacement for Amara Traore.

“Now the elections are behind us, I think the government will be further in place next week,” he told BBC Sport.

“Then it will be a priority for us to talk to the new minister of sport to finalise the new coach.”

Senegal have been without a coach since sacking Traore shortly after their first round exit from the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Senghor says they have already had coaches from around the world expressing an interest in the Teranga Lions job.

“We have several requests of great coaches coming from all around the world,” he said.

“They want to lead the Senegal team. The reason for me is simple – they know we have players with very good potential and that we have the chance to go to the next Nations Cup or World Cup.

“But what we want to do is find the best coach for our team, because it is time now for us to prove that we are not losers all the time.”

Despite reaching the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals the Teranga Lions have never lifted the Nations Cup.

Senghor seemed to distance himself from reports in the Senegalese media that former Egypt coach Hassan Shehata is being lined up to take over.

“Shehata is a very good coach but there may be a problem of language because we are not sure that he can work or speak with the players in English or French,” he said.

“And we don’t have enough time to work with interpreters or translators, which is why the language will be very important.”

The FSF president insisted that the nationality of the new coach is not an issue.

“What we decided in our executive committee is not to limit ourselves over the nationality or origin of the coach,” he insisted.

“We have a profile with some criteria – competence and experience – but we also need a charismatic coach.

“Because when you have to rule players coming from very great teams in Europe, and professionals of a high level, you have to be someone very charismatic.

“We think that if a coach fills all these criteria, we will take him – whether he is European, African or Senegalese. We will just take the best profile.

“We have several names in mind, but we don’t want to give these names now.”

Whoever takes over will have to deal with players such as the Newcastle United duo of Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse as well as Turkey-based Moussa Sow.

The first job for the new Teranga Lions boss will be to prepare the team for their 2014 World Cup qualifiers in June.

They begin their Group J campaign by hosting Liberia on the first weekend of June before travelling to play Uganda a week later, Angola are the other team in the group.

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I Joined Saudi League To Win Titles – Senegal Keeper

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Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”

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Spanish Football Fires Entire Refereeing Committee

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The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.

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Ronaldo Renews Stay With Saudi Pro League

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Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.

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