Traore hoping to stay on as Senegal coach

 

Senegal coach Amara Traore has refused to throw in the towel in the wake of his team’s disastrous performance at the 2012 Orange Africa Cup of Nations.

 

The Teranga Lions bowed out of the competition pointless in one of their worst outings in recent times after losses to Zambia, co-hosts Equatorial Guinea and Libya; but Traore is hoping to stay on and revive the fortunes of the team.

 

“I will not resign. I have a strong desire to continue. It’s up to my employers, they have the final say,” a visibly disappointed Traore told the media after his side’s 1-2 loss to Libya on Sunday in Bata.

 

“I have tried to convince everyone with my output. I started two years ago with this team and it cannot be zero overnight.”

 

With a striking force that includes the likes of Demba Ba, Papiss Demba Cisse, Moussa Sow and Mamadou Niang, the Teranga Lions were expected to roar till the end; rather it was the opposite as they were the first team to crash out of the competition.

 

According to Traore, the team did their best in all the matches but the results remained elusive.

 

“What happened is the responsibility of the coach and I take responsibility. We have to analyze, evaluate and move on from there. We have to correct our mistakes as to err is human.

 

“The question is why are we not scoring? I wonder! We are not a team that does not create opportunities. We play well and I will have to correct that shortfall.”

 

Traore, a member of the Senegal team that reached the final of the 2002 edition in Mali observed that the standard of the competition is very high and the inexperience of his team also weighed on them.

 

“The Africa Cup of Nations is a very difficult tournament and it has always been so for us. Most people described us favourtites but I thought otherwise.

 

“My team cannot be compared to Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana in terms of experience. It is a young team that showed character.”

 

The 46-year old is hoping to sit down with officials of the Senegalese Football Federation to resolve his future once they arrive in Dakar.