Champions League: Malick Daf highlights the lack of competition among Senegalese clubs

Following Teungueth FC's 2-0 defeat to Coombe Sportive, Malick Daf criticized the consequences of the delayed start to the Senegalese league. The Rufisque-based coach believes the lack of match fitness and competitive fixtures is seriously hindering Senegal's representatives on the African stage.

Teungueth FC has jeopardized its chances of qualifying for the Champions League group stage. Facing Cameroonian club Coombe Sportive at the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor Stadium, the Rufisque-based club lost 0-2. This poor performance puts the Senegalese side in a precarious position ahead of the return leg.

Beyond the result, Malick Daf highlighted a recurring problem in Senegalese football: the lack of preparation due to the delayed start of the national championship. According to the coach, this situation prevents clubs participating in continental competitions from approaching their matches in optimal condition.

“For some time now, the Senegalese teams that qualify in Africa play without competition. And each time, they are eliminated. Then, everything is blamed on the players and coaches,” lamented the coach, who believes that the difficulties encountered by the Senegalese representatives cannot be analyzed solely from the perspective of individual performances.

Malick Daf denounces a problem of preparation

The Teungueth FC coach points out that the issue of the league schedule had already been raised before the previous match against Canchungo. According to him, the desire to start the league season was hampered by disagreements between the clubs, thus delaying the actual resumption of competition.

For Malick Daf, top-level football requires rigorous preparation, confrontations against quality opponents and above all a succession of official matches to allow players to regain the necessary rhythm.

"You have to prepare well, have tough opponents and play competitive matches to be ready," he insisted.

The coach emphasizes the physical and tactical demands of African competitions, where offensive and defensive intensity, as well as the repetition of efforts, play a crucial role. These qualities, he believes, cannot be fully developed without proper competitive preparation.

"You can see that our players want it, but they still lack that," he acknowledged, highlighting the gap between the players' motivation and the level of pace needed to compete with their opponents.

A recurring problem for Senegalese representatives

In Malick Daf's view, this situation goes beyond the sole case of Teungueth FC. The coach believes that Senegalese clubs participating in African competitions regularly face the same handicap, due to a national calendar that doesn't always allow them optimal preparation.

Aware that he doesn't control the schedule, the coach nevertheless calls for accepting this reality. "I can't do anything about the league schedule. For a long time now, all the teams that go to African competitions have been playing international matches without any competition. So, we have to adapt to that," he explained.

With their backs against the wall after this home defeat, Teungueth FC will have to find the necessary resources to hope to reverse the trend in Cameroon next Sunday. But for Malick Daf, this situation primarily reignites the debate on the need to better coordinate the Senegalese league calendar with continental fixtures, in order to give national clubs a better chance of representing Senegal in Africa.