Niang reveals Mane conversation at the AFCON finals

Whenever you think that the 2025 AFON is finally over and one, the already legendary final keeps coming back. The famous scene where Senegal players leave the field after a penalty has been awarded for Morocco in injury time is back to the spotlight once again, this time by former Lion of Teranga Mamadou Niang. Now a retired player but once a Marseille and Fenerbahce striker (has a title with both clubs) participated in three AFCON’s and was also thinking about leaving the pitch in the quarter-final in 2004 against Tunisia. Eventually the team stayed and Niang used that experience to give advice to Sadio Mane.

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Niang revealed that the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich player asked for his advice.

"When the players started leaving the pitch, he looked a bit doubtful, he didn't understand what was happening. At that moment, I was near the touchline. He looked at me and said, 'Mamad, what do I do?' I wanted to tell him he already knew the answer. But he just wanted some reassurance, some support. I quickly told him, 'You mustn't leave the pitch. We can see everything that's happening. I understand there's anger, frustration, but you have to finish this match. It might be your last AFCON, and you can't leave like this. If we have to lose, we'll lose, but not like this. We'll lose like men" he explained on Canal+ Afrique on Monday.

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Niang then emphasized that deep inside, Mane already knew that he musn’t leave the field and that coming back was the right decision.

"I could see in his eyes that it was the answer he already had. When we were at the palace during the title celebrations, he came to thank me for speaking with him, but I told him, 'Don't thank me because you already knew the answer.' Since he's a very team-oriented person, he was torn between following his team and his coach, or taking responsibility and telling the team to stay, and that's what he did. There was a lot of commotion. Claude Le Roy was on the sidelines too; he could see things were getting a bit chaotic. Those of us with that perspective and experience... In 2004, we wanted to leave the pitch during the quarter-final against Tunisia, and luckily we didn't because we could have been in serious trouble. At one point, I wanted everyone to have a moment to breathe, and the person best suited to bring the group back together was Sadio, given his influence and the fact that everyone listens to him. It was up to him to take that responsibility, which he did. He had to intervene at that moment" said Niang.