- Publish date:
20 SENEGAL
Because ...
LE JOOLA
Aliou Cissé was Senegal's captain back in 2002 when the World Cup--debutant Lions of Teranga stunned the defending champ, France, 1--0, then went on a thrilling run to the quarterfinals. But Cissé's joy was short-lived: Weeks later a dozen of his family members died in the Le Joola ferry disaster off the coast of Gambia. "As we say in our country, often happiness is followed by sadness," the grief-stricken midfielder said that fall. Now Cissé has coached Senegal back to the big stage after a 16-year absence and, with the scoring punch of Liverpool's Sadio Mané, he's hoping to bring more happiness to his homeland.
