Mahamadou Kanouté: “We’ve completed a preparation phase at Clairefontaine. Then we arrived in Oran on Thursday. This allows you to get into the swing of things. In addition, there are other teams like Portugal, Spain, Algeria and Morocco who stay in the same hotel as ours. I had the opportunity to chat a bit with friends who play with the other teams.”
Kanfory Kaba: “I was called up at the last minute to cover for an injury. I said to myself ‘finally’. Finally I have the pleasure of being able to taste international football. I’m really very happy to be able to participate in these Games.”
Kanouté: “Of course. It’s always nice to be able to share this kind of experience with someone you know well. Even though the Mediterranean Games represents his first selection, Kanfory has integrated very well into the group. Besides, he didn’t need me to succeed in doing so.”
Kaba: “The fact that Mahamadou was with me made my integration easier since he was there to answer my questions. I was well received, I immediately felt very comfortable with the whole group.”
Kanouté: “It’s true that until now, I had only played friendly matches. It’s always interesting to take part in this kind of competition, with something at stake. It’ll also allow us to prepare well for qualifying for the World Cup.”
Kaba: “You could say that there are worse places to inaugurate your first selection. Whatever happens, I’m convinced that it’ll be a great experience and that it’ll remain a very good memory.”
Kanouté: “We’ve already faced Spain and Algeria. We’d drawn against Spain in September and a few weeks later we had played a double tie against Algeria. We won both matches 6-0.”
Kaba: “As a newcomer in the team, I’ll logically discover all this. I’m a competitor and even if it’s my first selection, my objective is to win these Mediterranean Games. I want to seize the opportunity to show what I am capable of at international level.”
Photo credit: Pauline CARRE/FFF
