CONAKRY- After an honorary journey to the 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations football in Ivory Coast, the national Syli of Guinea returned home this Sunday, February 4, 2024. The plane carrying the national team landed around 11 a.m. on the tarmac of Ahmed Sékou Touré international airport in Conakry.
Welcomed with honor by the Minister of Sports and Youth, Lansana Béa Diallo, as well as by the president of the Guinean Football Federation (Feguifoot) Bouba Sampil and his staff, the national team benefited from a popular welcome at the height of his heroic journey at CAN 2023. At the exit of Ahmed Sékou international airport in Conakry, a compact jubilant crowd awaited the Syli. All along the route, from the airport to the Presidential Palace, supporters accompanied the team to the vicinity of the Mohammed V Palace. General Mamadi Doumbouya forcefully underlined: “Congratulations to our players, coach and staff! We will come back even stronger. Let us now learn lessons and prepare ourselves for the next challenges, notably CAN 2025. Let us mobilize our positive energies to support and strengthen the sports department in the implementation of a development strategy for all sporting disciplines in our country. Thank you Syli, long live Syli!”
Received in the afternoon at the Mohammed V Palace, coach Kaba Diawara, his technical staff and the players were honored by the President of the Republic. Providing wise advice, the president reiterated the need to capitalize on the experience of CAN 2023, encouraging them to plan with determination for future events. The army chief stressed that bringing the flag home was a moral duty to the Republic and the sovereign people of Guinea. Satisfied that the team fell with weapons in hand, he promised to do everything possible to ensure that the national Syli is in better competitive conditions for the next African Cup.
General Mamadi Doumbouya gave firm instructions to the sports department and the Guinean Football Federation to carry out the reforms necessary to achieve this objective. Recalling the symbolic significance of the national Syli for the sovereign people of Guinea, General Mamadi Doumbouya stressed that the national Syli is a national heritage, symbolizing the unity and cohesion of the Guinean people, which the actors within it have the imperative obligation to protect.
Presidency of the Republic