Wayne Lumbasi
President Macky Sall of Senegal has awarded a special cash prize, prime real estate, and the country’s highest order to the men’s soccer team as the country continued celebrating their victory in the AFCON finals against Egypt.
In a ceremony hosted at the presidential palace in the capital Dakar, Sall also appointed team members to the West African country’s prestigious Order of the Lion, as thousands of fans cheered outside the gates.
“By your vital force and your creative genius, you have reversed the course of history,” the president said, standing at a podium beside the Cup of Nations trophy.
“We dreamed of the cup, you built this dream and you made it come true,” he added.
On Tuesday, he announced a prize of the equivalent of some $87,000 for each team member, as well as a 200 square-metre(2,100 square-foot) plot of land in Dakar, and a 500 square-metre (5,400 square-foot) plot in the nearby city of Diamniadio.
“There are no words to express to you our pride, our joy and our gratitude,” Sall said.
The president also urged Senegal coach Aliou Cisse to lead his team to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, to be held in Qatar.
The win marked Senegal’s first success after more than fifty years of teams taking part in the tournament – and sparked jubilant celebrations across Dakar on Sunday.
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