One people, one passion, one fight: the victory of the “Lions”! (By Abdoulaye Fofana Seck) November 10, 2026
Dear Lions,
This Thursday, November 12, 2026, against Sudan, the Léopold Sédar Senghor stadium will be much more than the scene of a football match. It will be the place for a new meeting between a team, its history and an entire people united by the same passion.
On the occasion of this meeting counting for the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, I would like to convey to you, with deep conviction, the encouragement and total support of the President of the Senegalese Football Federation, Mr. Abdoulaye Fall, as well as those of the entire Senegalese football family.
Dear Lions, you are never alone!
Behind each of your steps, behind each ball contested, behind each effort made, there are the hopes, prayers and encouragement of millions of Senegalese men and women.
There are these children who proudly wear your jersey and dream of following in your footsteps. There are these elders who paved the way and built, generation after generation, the greatness of our football. There is this youth who sees in you models of courage, discipline, surpassing oneself and success.
And above all there are these extraordinary people who know how to make football a universal language, capable of erasing differences, transcending divisions and bringing together all sensitivities around the same flag.
This green, yellow and red flag, struck with its green star, is your greatest responsibility and your greatest source of inspiration.
You are the heirs of a glorious history. You are worthy representatives of a Nation which has learned to believe in its champions and which now harbors the greatest ambitions.
Today, a new page opens with Patrick Vieira at the head of technical management. This first meeting in Dakar under his leadership must be one of renewed enthusiasm, shared confidence and renewed collective ambition.
We know your talent. We know your potential. We believe in your ability to meet the most demanding challenges.
But we also know that the greatest victories are not achieved only with the feet. They are won with the heart, with the head, with the spirit of sacrifice and this fierce desire to never give up.
So, dear Lions, step onto that lawn with determination. Be united in the effort, generous in the commitment and intractable in your desire to defend our colors.
May every minute of this meeting be an expression of your pride in representing Senegal.
And to you, wonderful Senegalese supporters, we also appeal:
Let’s make the Léopold Sédar Senghor stadium an immense showcase of fervor, fraternity and patriotic communion.
Let’s put aside the controversies and sterile quarrels. What brings us together is infinitely greater than what can divide us.
When the Lions enter the field, there are no more differences, no more chapels, no more camps. There is only one people, one passion and one ambition: to see Senegal triumph.
Dear Lions, the Senegalese people trust you.
It’s up to you to transform this confidence into energy, this energy into performance and this performance into victory.
May this meeting be the starting point of a new dynamic, bringing success, hope and national pride.
May God accompany you, protect you and grant you victory!
CA KAW, CA KANAM, GAINDE YI!
ONE PEOPLE – ONE PURPOSE – ONE FAITH!
LONG LIVE THE LIONS! Long live SENEGAL! 🇸🇳
Abdoulaye Fofana Seck
Communications Advisor / Spokesperson for the President of the Senegalese Football Federation
