Eliminated by Mali, Burkina Faso’s Stallions will not reach the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. An immense sports disappointment for some Burkinabe players and supporters.
It’s a match they must have reflected on for long hours from Tuesday night to Wednesday. Burkina Faso’s national football team failed in its quest for the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) title after a frustrating 2-1 loss to Mali in the 2023 CAN round of 16. This elimination shatters all hopes of the Stallions of Burkina Faso finally bringing home the title that has eluded the country, following a lost final in 2013 in South Africa, a 3rd place in 2017 in Gabon, and a 4th place in 2021 in Cameroon.
Everything seemed to be in place for Burkina Faso’s Stallions to go all the way, except for a few injury issues that also hampered the team. Before the competition, Dango Ouattara got injured with Bournemouth, while captain Bertrand Traoré returned from an injury, and Adama Guira suffered an injury against Algeria, putting an end to his participation in the tournament.
In a packed stadium in Korhogo, fully supportive of both teams, Hubert Velud’s players couldn’t overcome their opponents, and this sports disappointment will linger in the minds for a very long time. By falling just short of the round of 16, Burkina Faso’s Stallions face a resounding failure in terms of expectations.
Read on the same topic: CAN 2023-Velud: “We made a mistake in our tactical choice.”
A Resounding Failure
The assessment is clear and bitter. Burkina Faso’s Stallions did not overcome the obstacle. Eliminated in the round of 16 of the 2023 CAN by Mali, they failed in their mission. Starting with their coach, Hubert Velud, whose future is inevitably in question after such a failure. This early elimination echoes like an explosion, the echoes of which many have not finished hearing, nor have they finished enduring the shocks.
Identified as the primary responsible for this failure, Hubert Velud, who is under scrutiny by many, did not escape the famous question during the post-match press conference about his future with the Stallions: “It’s been 10 minutes since the match ended to talk about my future. There were good things and not-so-good things. We will talk about it later…” he suggested.
Disappointed Supporters after the Elimination
In Korhogo, where we interviewed them, supporters of Burkina Faso’s Stallions expressed immense disappointment after the defeat that eliminated the team following a match with incredible gameplay. Nasser Barry said, “No desire, no aggressiveness, no game organization, no concentration, and zero determination. I wonder if it was really a CAN round of 16? Good grief! In short, a very disappointing team. They don’t deserve to be encouraged after what they showed us.” According to Georges Dioula, there was a lack of commitment among the players: “Personally, I wouldn’t blame the coach. If you followed the match closely, the players didn’t give me the impression of playing to win. They lacked rage, competitiveness, and above all, the will to win. No connection between defense, midfield, and attack, a game based on ping pong. Tonight, I affirm, insist, and even persist that Hervé Koffi is a great goalkeeper and one of the major strengths of this team. Hervé saved us a lot or limited the damage in this match; otherwise, imagine the final score.” Dri Ouédraogo believes it’s time to change everything: “Their victory would have truly surprised us. A team totally soulless. Only one victory during their journey. Nothing concrete in 4 matches. We will change everything in our team, whether it’s the federation president, the coach and his assistant, the old players, and others. They forget that the population derives its happiness or pleasure from football. They consciously hurt us.”
Questions Arising After the Elimination
Questions are now emerging, and the first among them is: how did we get here? What is the framework of the general sports policy in Burkina Faso? Where are we heading? How do we get there? Where do we come from?
On these inquiries, Adama Doumbia expresses his opinion: “We always expect the Stallions and all Burkinabe athletes, in general, to achieve resounding victories, titanic demands, immaculate performances against the best nations and athletes. However, nothing is done in the long term to support these oversized ambitions.” He is supported in his position by former Burkinabe international Alain Traoré: “My country, which has not had an approved stadium for over 3 years, I understand well that we ask for results from the players, but as a nation, what are we doing in terms of sports infrastructure, organization, and general sports policy in Burkina Faso? Bravo to the Stallions,” he added. A way of trying to say that the issue is quite profound, and seemingly, the Burkinabe athletes are being asked to achieve the impossible.
The digestion process, however, is expected to take a few more days for Captain Bertrand Traoré and his teammates, much like that of the Burkinabe people who were convinced that Burkina Faso could go far in the competition and even win the trophy.