Injury Setbacks for Stallions: Banou Diawara Earns First National Call-Up
Burkina Faso head coach Paul Put is facing significant injury setbacks ahead of upcoming international fixtures, with Prejuce Nakoulma and Abdoul Razack Traoré both sidelined. In response, Put has called up Banou Diawara, the in-form striker from Racing Club de Bobo Dioulasso (RCB), for his first-ever selection with the senior national team.
Diawara, just 22 years old, has been one of the standout performers in the Burkinabè top flight. Having returned to his boyhood club RCB after stints in Ivory Coast (Issia Wazi), Gabon (FC 105), and AS Sonabel, he finished last season as the top scorer in Burkina Faso’s Division 1, netting 14 goals—nearly half of RCB’s total tally of 33. His performances were instrumental in pushing the club to the upper echelons of the league standings.
Though highly praised by domestic observers, this is the first time Diawara has been included in the Stallions’ national squad, and it comes as a direct consequence of Nakoulma’s injury absence.
Meanwhile, Fadil Sido, currently with FC Metz, has been called up to fill the gap left by Razack Traoré.
The Stallions will be counting on their depth and emerging talent as they aim to navigate through the crucial phase of the AFCON 2015 qualifiers.
