Khalilou Fadiga’s rant on maraboutage: “I think the French have it…”

Like Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto’o, former Lion of Téranga of Senegal, Khalilou Fadiga, has rejected stereotypes about African football.

In the wake of the muscular media outing of Samuel Eto’o, who strongly criticized RFI for its references to maraboutage within African selections, Khalilou Fadiga, former Senegalese international, spoke on this issue during his appearance on the “J-1” broadcast.

The brand new graduate in Law and Economics at UEFA expressed his incomprehension about French perceptions regarding African football. ” I don’t understand. When France wins, it is generally attributed to their technical or tactical strength, while when African teams succeed, maraboutage is often mentioned. I wonder about this,” regretted Khalilou Fadiga.

The former glory of the Senegalese epic of the 2002 World Cup believes that the French are having difficulty digesting the defeat inflicted by the Lions of Téranga on the Blues during this tournament. “Telling stories of marabouts, I find that extraordinary. There was the affair with Pogba and all that… In a famous sports newspaper that we all know, they published a photo of a marabout they found. I don’t know where, claiming that he was the marabout of the Senegalese team in 2002. I don’t understand why he resurfaces 20 years later. I think the French still have difficulty accepting it,” concludes Fadiga.

Fadiga’s comments come amid a growing debate over stereotypes and prejudice towards African football, highlighting ongoing tensions in the continent’s perception of international football.