World Football: Senegal welcome new stadium

Senegal inaugurated a new 50,000-seat stadium on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by African and European heads of state, as well as global sporting leaders

World Football: Senegal welcome new stadium
Pic: Football Senegal (twitter)

DIAMNIADIO, Senegal: Following the national team's victory in this month's Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal inaugurated a new 50,000-seat stadium on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by African and European heads of state, as well as global sporting leaders.

The Turkish-built Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Senegal's new showpiece city of Diamniadio is part of President Macky Sall's infrastructure development initiative in the West African country.

Fans flying Senegal's green, yellow, and red flags filled the stadium, which will host the Summer Youth Olympics in 2026.

The presidents of Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Rwanda, Turkey, and Germany were also there, as was Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, and African soccer legends Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o.

"It is in this beautiful den that our valiant lions will celebrate their conquest of Africa and the world," Sall told the crowd.

Senegal, spearheaded by Liverpool striker Sadio Mane, won their first Africa Cup of Nations title on February 6 in Cameroon, defeating Egypt.

The stadium, named after former President Abdoulaye Wade, whom Sall beat in a highly contested election in 2012, is Senegal's most visible infrastructural project.

In 2018, a basketball facility across the street from the stadium was finished, and a $1.3 billion commuter railway opened in December. more info

Opponents of Sall, on the other hand, have questioned whether these initiatives will assist ordinary citizens as much as they do Senegal's small elite.

Edited - SportsAction / Inputs - Agency