Senegal Launches Preparations for Burundi Clash in 2017 AFCON Qualifiers
Senegal is wasting no time as it gears up for the opening round of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The Lions of Teranga are scheduled to host Burundi on June 13, 2015, in what will be their first official match of the qualifying campaign.
Following a meeting held this Friday, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) issued a statement announcing the creation of a “coordination unit” specifically tasked with organizing the upcoming qualifier.
While another fixture — a friendly against Gambia’s national team set for June 20 — is also on the horizon, the FSF emphasized that full focus is currently on the Burundi match.
“What is important is to take the matches one after the other,” said a member of the FSF Executive Committee. “We have put in place a strategy that will allow us to approach all the other matches under good auspices. But, since the most urgent remains the duel against Burundi, we deemed it necessary to put all the assets on our side in order to enter the competition in the best possible way.”
Senegal is in Group K, alongside Niger, Namibia, and Burundi. Under the leadership of Aliou Cissé, the team hopes to begin the qualifiers with a statement win and set the tone for a successful campaign leading to CAN 2017 in Gabon.
