The home-based stallions are down and out of the TotalEnergies CAF CHAN 2024, but will look to take Madagascar along in Group B ahead of what has been tagged a “Tit for tat” clash.
Romuald Rakotondrabe and Issa Balbone assembled at the Amaan stadium conference hall ahead of Saturday’s showdown with different feelings. Issa Balbone hopes to get a standard home welcome after a possible victory over Madagascar, while for Rakotondrabe, a straightforward win would get him above Mauritania in the standings.
Barea skipper, Andrianarimanana Arohasina “DAX,” says a poor start led them to this must-win situation. “The problem is we didn’t start the competition well, because we played with 10 men for almost the entire second half against Mauritania and got a draw. The second game didn’t go as planned with defeat to Tanzania. Thankfully, we won our third game against the Central African Republic,” DAX said before placing emphasis on his teammates’ confidence ahead of the game, which is key. “After our victory against the Central African Republic, the players’ confidence boosted.”
Madagascar has been in such a difficult situation in the competition before but fared well in 2022, when they went on to defeat Sudan 3-0 on the final day, following up all the way to finish with a bronze medal. “To repeat the 2022 exploits, we need to win to continue in the competition. We would do everything it takes,” the 34-year-old opined. Coach Romuald admits the game would be a highly competitive encounter with Burkina Faso looking to make a statement win. “It wouldn’t be an easy game against Burkina Faso, though we are geared towards having a positive result. Mauritania are on 6 points, so anything less than a win will not be sufficient for us.”
Burkina Faso had their campaign back on track after a 6-goal thriller that ended 4-2 in their favor over the Central African Republic, but that quickly changed in a nerve-wracking 1-0 defeat to Mauritania. One of the group’s more experienced players, Patrick Malo, promised the fans an honorable outing on the last playing day, following that crushing defeat. “We want to honor our people with a good finish against Madagascar. To the Burkina Faso population, we are disappointed for our non-qualification to the quarter-finals.”
Coach Issa Balbone, who has had a baptism of fire in his first TotalEnergies CAF CHAN invitation, noted that his team’s preparation against Madagascar will be indifferent, despite an early group stage exit. “We are eliminated, but our team is preparing Saturday’s game like every other game.” The trainer asked the population of Zanzibar, where he considers another home, to come out massively to watch the game: ”Supporters must report to the stadium to watch a great game. We are competitors,'” he said.
The level of competitiveness in the competition came as a surprise to Madagascar’s DAX, who voiced the struggle of his peers to match other teams’ energy. “The group was not going to be easy when it was made. At the CHAN 2023, the Malagasy squad had 3 clubs representing. Now, the number of clubs in our team has moved up to 5, which means better quality from our championship to the tournament finals.” Burkina Faso’s Patrick Malo capped the presser with the phrase, “There are no more small teams in Africa,” a line that has become all too familiar on the continent.
Madagascar’s fate lies in their hands, and a win would see them through to the next round as runners-up to co-hosts Tanzania. Plotting mischief is Burkina Faso, expecting to return home with honour, for a country that prides itself as one of the best footballing nations on the continent