New Mane documentary shows Liverpool icon is adored in Senegal yet naysayers remain

By Alistair Hendrie

A group of children gather in a square in Bambali, Senegal to catch a glimpse of their hero Sadio Mane, who has returned to his birthplace to announce his plans to develop a hospital and a school in the area. “Sadio, Sadio, Sadio!” they chant, whipping up a frenzy as the Liverpool forward watches from a balcony.

Suddenly a man with dreadlocks, perhaps aged around fifty, demands silence amid the commotion. A hush sweeps across the crowd. The man yells up to Mane: “Anything you can do, do it not just for Bambali, but for all of Senegal. May God assist you.” Mane nods along and the crowd explodes again, dancing, singing and drumming to celebrate their talisman.

It’s a scene in Vertical Social Club and arena11’s documentary Sadio Mane: Made in Senegal, which demonstrates how although Mane is revered in his homeland, he still receives criticism for his performances for the national team. Throughout the piece, though, he is mobbed for photos and handshakes as cameras follow him across Bambali and Liverpool.

Those who know Mane best are interviewed and Aliou Cisse, the Senegal manager, describes Mane as a part of the great “castle” of African players. Mady Toure, the president of Dakar’s Generation Foot academy where Mane lived from the age of 15, said he thinks of the current African Footballer of the Year as a son.

Furthermore, the coach who brought Mane to Metz in France in 2011, Olivier Perrin, remembers how Mane played like “something out of a video game.” The first time Perrin watched the youngster “he intercepted the ball in the penalty area and proceeded down the entire field before making the decisive pass to the guy who scored. It wasn’t normal.”

As the documentary unveils how Mane lost his father at the age of seven and how nowadays he struggles to sleep after matches with the adrenaline pumping, Liverpool staff and players also give their thoughts on camera. Manager Jurgen Klopp, centre-back Virgil Van Dijk and central midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum all talk of Mane in glowing terms.

Why wouldn’t they? This is man who has helped Liverpool win the Champions League, the World Club Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in the last year. And yet the naysayers in Senegal remain, despite his status as Senegal’s fourth highest ever scorer with 19 goals. Despite his four consecutive appearances in the Confederation of African Football’s team of the year. Despite his winning the Premier League golden boot in 2018-2019.

One market worker in the film argues that Mane doesn’t perform well enough for Senegal. “Sadio Mane is only good at his club and not his country,” he fumes. “It’s not OK, we aren’t happy with him.” Another chimes in: “He’s one of Africa’s best players, but he doesn’t show it here.” A third bystander adds: “He’s the best, he knows it but he needs to bring something home – the Africa Cup of Nations!”

Indeed, Mane is depicted at his lowest ebb when, in 2017, he misses the deciding spot-kick against Cameroon in their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final penalty shoot-out. “It really hurt when he missed that penalty,” says Mane’s sister, Mariatou Toure. “It was really tough, people destroyed Sadio’s car after that.” Another scene shows locals arguing about Mane’s status in the national team. It becomes heated as one participant bellows: “He’s our leader!”

Mane struggled to have an impact on the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final as well, when Algeria ran out 1-0 winners. He hasn’t always impressed in the national jersey but playing in Africa - where conditions are different, pitches are inferior and the pressure is intense - will never be easy. Fans will forever ask: “Well, if he can walk the walk in the Premier League, why can’t he do it for his country?”

For instance, England fans were guilty of vilifying David Beckham after was sent off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. Nevertheless, the former Real Madrid man scored the free kick against Greece which sent England to the 2002 World Cup, and in the group stages of that World Cup he converted a penalty against Argentina, earning a measure of revenge.

So perhaps the fans who question Mane’s level of effort for Senegal might eat their humble pie. Supporters get frustrated when national stars don’t produce their club form at international level, but Senegal have a way of playing and Liverpool have a way of playing.

Note Mane’s telepathic relationship with Roberto Firmino. Last October, against RB Salzburg in the Champions League, the duo played a lovely one-two, slicing through the Austrians’ backline as Mane netted against his former club. You don’t get that kind of understanding overnight, especially when national teams only get together every three to four months.

Elsewhere, the death of Mane’s father is portrayed with sensitivity and compassion. “The day my father died I was seven years old,” says Mane. “We were about to play on the field when a cousin approached me and said my father passed away. I couldn’t grasp it. He had a stomach ache but because there were no hospitals we tried traditional medicine. So they took him into the village for treatment but he died there.”

Those upsetting memories surface alongside animated reconstructions and sky-high shots of Bambali. Made in Senegal also twists towards elements of a thriller as Mane runs away to Generation Foot in Dakar, defying his family in the hope of becoming a professional footballer. He tells only his closest friend Luc Djiboune where he is, and Mane’s distressed mother warns Djiboune he’ll get beaten up if he doesn’t disclose her son’s whereabouts.

There’s comedy too when Mane arrives in Metz to see dark, blustery and drizzly skies. Oblivious to anything other than the heat of Bambali, he spends his first training session battling the elements in a t-shirt and shorts. His new teammates fall about laughing, wrapped up in layers, coats and gloves. “It was so cold and a bit bizarre,” laughs Mane. “Oh God, did I suffer that day!”

Made in Senegal, all things considered, plays out with balance and intimacy, revealing a lot about Mane away from the goals, success and trophies. Mane is idolised by the majority of Senegal and worshipped by all Liverpool supporters, chiefly for moments of genius such as last season’s backheeled goal against Watford, and his solo effort on his Liverpool debut against Arsenal in 2016. 

Although Senegal haven’t enjoyed the kind of stardust Mane has sprinkled at Liverpool, once it’s all said and done he should be remembered as one of Africa’s finest alongside the likes of Roger Milla, Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba. Perrin puts it best when he states: “He plays football like the greats. When you have fun you’re stronger and I think he’s having fun.”

Take in the documentary here for free, as Mane reveals tales of grief, defying his parents and success on the football pitch

Check out Alistair Hendrie's Kindle book, Fight Game: The Untold Story of Women's MMA in Britain, featuring insight from Rosi Sexton, Joanne Calderwood and more

Belarus's plan to save UFC 249 was a desperate stab in the dark

By Alistair Hendrie

Belarus’s proposal to host UFC 249 on Saturday 18th April looked ambitious at best and was reminiscent of a chancer bursting into an auction as the final bids were made. They’d crash through the doors, causing a commotion and embarrassing themselves. “Listen to me” they’d shout, “I’ll save you; I’ll do anything!”

Last weekend, before Justin Gaethje replaced the self-isolating Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC 249 main event - where he’ll face Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight strap - the executive director of the Belarus Federation of Hand to Hand Fighting and MMA, Maxim Korolkov, revealed he’d made a leap of faith in giving the UFC options for the event to be staged in, say, Minsk, in front of 15,000 fans despite the coronavirus outbreak.

"We received an oral reply [from the UFC]” said Korolkov. "Firstly, we were thanked for the offer. Secondly, our proposal was included as a conditional 'plan B'. They already have venues for this tournament. Dana White does not want to report this, but they have well-developed options. In any case, they are grateful and ready to consider our option with Minsk for future UFC tournaments… By April 18 we will [be able to] prepare everything."

As if these developments couldn’t be any weirder, the country’s Ministry of Sport and Tourism claimed they hadn’t even spoken to the federation about staging the event. Then there’s the labyrinthine logistical issues.

If Belarus was serious about hosting UFC 249 the country would have needed to ensure a raft of athletes from the United States, Brazil and eastern Europe can travel to the country regardless of flight cancelations, airport closures and aviation staff being placed on leave all over the globe.

Furthermore, coaching teams would need to be transported to the show, whereas the federation would also have to convince referees, judges, doctors and other staff that it’s worth working a UFC event during a worldwide pandemic.

In that sense Belarus’s plans to save the UFC’s next showcase were too large of a bet to be taken seriously but when you look into the country’s dismissal of the threat of coronavirus, Belarusian naivety should be no surprise. Its borders are free to roam through. Its train stations are open. Its sports leagues are continuing as if nothing has happened.

On Sunday Yunost Minsk defeated Shakhtyor Soligorsk to win ice hockey’s Belarusian Extraleague, while the Belarusian Premier League is one of the only football competitions still in progress. And this from a country whose president, Alexander Lukashenko, is more likely to be seen wearing a blindfold than a protective mask as he denies the legitimacy of a pandemic which the rest of the world can see.

Lukashenko waved away the dangers of coronavirus when he called it “another psychosis” and added “panic can hurt us more than the virus itself”. Questions over his sanity were raised further when, in his infinite wisdom, he recommended drinking vodka and sitting in saunas as a remedy for symptoms of the virus. It should be noted for balance that according to Google, at the time of writing on Monday 6th April 2020, Belarus has only suffered eight deaths from 562 cases, with 52 recoveries. Still, Lukashenko’s cartoonish demeanour and wilful ignorance are the lasting images of the country’s response to coronavirus.

That said, it’s unlikely that the UFC will accept Belarus’s last-minute bid as they bundle into the conversation, spouting offers and promises they can’t fulfil. For starters, the UFC promoting an event in an arena full of fans would be treacherous in spreading the virus, while the company cooperating with Lukashenko would be a blot on their corporate image.

Added to that, last week US president Donald Trump told UFC president Dana White he is eager to reopen sports leagues as quickly as is safe, and White has since set his sights on staging the event on the US west coast. As such, considering the health risk and PR disaster which could occur from switching Gaethje against Ferguson to another country, Belarus are left defeated, red-faced and clutching a redundant bet slip.

Check out Alistair Hendrie’s Kindle book, Fight Game: The Untold Story of Women’s MMA in Britain, featuring insight from Rosi Sexton, Joanne Calderwood and more

Cage Warriors 113: Paddy Pimblett relieved to secure replacement foe Decky Dalton

By Alistair Hendrie

Cage Warriors lightweight mainstay Paddy Pimblett has endured a change of opponent for his last two contests, but he is pleased that Irish veteran Decky Dalton is replacing Davide Martinez as his rival at Cage Warriors 113 on Friday.

Pimblett, 25, heard the news as Martinez was deemed unable to travel from Italy to England due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“I think Dalton is a better opponent than Martinez,” said “Paddy The Baddy”, chatting exclusively to Fighters Only after one of his final sessions in camp at Next Generation in Liverpool.

“He’s battle-tested and he defeated Kalifa Seydi two weeks ago so he’s going to be fight-ready. I read an interview with Decky recently where he said he wanted to get on a few big arena shows, so he’s obviously jumped at the chance.”

Read the rest of the article at Fighters Only

Check out Alistair Hendrie’s Kindle book, Fight Game: The Untold Story of Women’s MMA in Britain, featuring insight from Rosi Sexton, Joanne Calderwood and more.

Potter suffering dreadful 2020 as Brighton struggle for Premier League goals and wins

By Alistair Hendrie

Graham Potter is having a terrible year. That’s a given. His Brighton and Hove Albion side are the only team in the top four divisions yet to win a match in the league this year, while the Seagulls’ defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday made them the first Premier League team in history to lose on 29th February thanks to 2020 being a leap year. With that said, try telling Potter that having an extra day in the year is a good thing.

After all, his side huffed and puffed against bitter rivals Palace and despite setting a club Premier League record of 24 shots, they couldn’t find inroads when it counted. Winger Solly March hit the side netting when bearing down on goal, French forward Neal Maupay fired directly into the arms of Vicente Guaita and Lewis Dunk’s goalbound header smacked into Maupay, such is Brighton’s luck.

That means Brighton are now winless in eight Premier League matches, leaving them bottom of the table if you take into account only that streak. They have five points during that run whereas Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Aston Villa have seven. Their slump is not down to any lack of defensive prowess or downturn in effort but you have to think Potter’s indecision over his best formation is weighing his squad down.

As Brighton have faltered in 2020, Potter has lined up his rudderless troops in a 3-4-3, 5-3-2, 4-2-3-1 and a bizarre 4-1-2-1-2 against Chelsea in January, which left the Seagulls without a sense of width or any degree of threat from the flanks. Potter would have been delighted to see Alireza Jahanbakhsh rescue his side a point in that match with a stunning overhead kick.

That draw against Frank Lampard’s team simply papers over the cracks however. Since the turn of the year Brighton have failed to score more than once in any Premier League match barring their 3-3 tie at West Ham in February. Potter’s chopping and changing of systems is not leading to goals and it’s a shame to see Maupay struggling when he has the potential to score decent numbers in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old, signed by Potter last summer from Brentford for £19.8 million, has scored only once in his last eleven matches, cutting an isolated figure as he roams down the wings and fights for scraps through the middle. However, he has scored eight altogether in the league this season – not bad for a team short of bullets – but their next highest scorer is own goals with four, underlining their feeble finishing.

Potter lets Maupay play a free role owing to his shrewd dribbling but the trouble is, the 44-year-old doesn’t seem to know how to get the best from Maupay – that is, how to help him find the back of the net more often. Should Maupay play as a lone striker? Should he play alongside Glenn Murray? Who knows? Clearly not Potter, who has flitted between both options without grasping three points.

The former Swansea City manager also added Genk winger Leandro Trossard to his squad during the summer. The little box of tricks netted 11 times last season in the Belgian First Division A, making him the joint-sixth highest scorer in the league as De Smurfen swept to their fourth league title. Conversely, Trossard has struggled to hit those numbers under Potter, netting only three times this term after scoring on the first day of the season in a 1-1 draw with West Ham.

Additionally, Potter has the dilemma of fitting Murray into his plans. The 36-year-old, only the second man in history to grab 100 goals for the Seagulls, has started just three matches in 2020 and it looks like Potter either doesn’t know how to extract the best from Murray or believes the veteran is past his best days.

Given Brighton’s inability to score on a regular basis and their profligacy when presented with golden opportunities, surely Murray’s height, spring and heading ability could get Potter out of a rut. Last season, under Chris Hughton, Murray became an outsider for an England call-up as he banged in 13 Premier League goals, four of them penalties, helping him finish as the league’s joint-seventh highest goalscorer.

Under the watch of Potter, though, the former Palace and Reading marksman has netted just twice in all competitions as he has faded into the peripheries. Take a look at Brighton’s next seven fixtures and Potter’s fight becomes even more gruelling. Champions League-chasing Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City await and they also face Liverpool in April. Perhaps Murray could get Brighton firing once more in that passage.

The home matches against Liverpool on April 20th and Manchester City on April 25th look to be Herculean assessments, but as conventional wisdom suggests Albion would enjoy less possession against the top two, knocking in early crosses to Murray could bear fruit. At 6 foot, he is taller than Maupay, Trossard and Aaron Mooy and much more of a target for deliveries from the wings.

Whatever happens, Potter needs to coax more from a crop of attackers who have scored four goals between them in Brighton’s last eleven matches. Before the Palace clash the manager told the assembled press that they needed to stop fixating on Brighton’s lack of a victory in 2020 and quit peddling the same narrative. Still, as Palace tasted victory at the AMEX for the first time since 2013, the story continues and Brighton are staring at a return to the Championship.

Check out Alistair Hendrie’s Kindle book, Fight Game: The Untold Story of Women’s MMA in Britain, featuring insight from Rosi Sexton, Joanne Calderwood and more 

Lampard pays for over-reliance on Abraham against Leicester City

By Alistair Hendrie

No, Frank Lampard said, Tammy Abraham had not recovered from a knock to his ankle but on the other hand, he added, the Chelsea forward was fit enough to start against Leicester City on Saturday. Lampard grinned with admiration for Abraham, just about stopping short of donning pigtails, pom-poms and a skirt. In the end he had to thank his German centre-back Antonio Rudiger who scored a brace of bullish headers to help Chelsea to a 2-2 draw which both sides could have gained more from.

You might ask what Lampard would have thought from the touchline watching Abraham huff, puff and just come up short until he was substituted for Ross Barkley on 82 minutes. The England man is far from the finished article and although he didn’t seem compromised by any injury on Saturday, he rarely looked like improving on his latest record of two goals in his last nine Premier League matches. His promise is also negated by the fact that only one of his 13 goals in the league this season have occurred against a current top six side. That was in August against Sheffield United when Chris Wilder’s side were adjusting to their new surroundings.

Leicester, of course, were far more formidable opponents. As Chelsea dominated the first 45 minutes Abraham misfired on a cross from Mason Mount and also appealed in vain for a penalty when he tumbled over, attempting a cutback while under pressure from Caglar Soyoncu. As Rudiger opened the scoring, later equalising after Harvey Barnes and Ben Chilwell put the home side in the driving seat during a frantic second half, Abraham turned in a disappointing shift and couldn’t tune his radar to any of Pedro or Callum Hudson-Odoi’s deliveries behind the hosts’ backline.

Lampard will defend his striker to the end though. From day one he has championed academy talent and you feel that the former Derby County boss is attacking his first big assignment as a manager with a sense of wide-eyed wonder. He sometimes appears out of his depth but he’s enthusiastic enough to make the bold decisions.

He did exactly that by putting his faith in Abraham, leaving Michy Batshuayi on the bench. Olivier Giroud didn’t even make the list of substitutes. Lampard’s selection reinforced his absence of confidence in Batshuayi, who has only been on the pitch for 139 minutes this season in the league and is yet to start in the competition. The Belgian striker, tall and powerful in the air, would have surely fed off Mount’s set-plays better than Abraham did against Leicester. It was telling that at 2-2, when Chelsea were chasing the game, Lampard would rather bring on Barkley, Mateo Kovacic – two players who rarely gel – and Willian instead of opting for more of a target man.

Lampard’s decisions could also speak to his disillusionment with Chelsea’s January transfer window business. They missed out on Dries Meterns from Napoli. They also let Edison Cavani, the Paris Saint-Germain striker, slip through their fingers. Neither could they shift Batshuayi or Giroud. As such, Lampard sent a message to the board telling them to act in a more clinical manner in future windows.

It’s clear that Lampard would have also kept an eye on Abraham while managing Derby in the Championship last season, as the spidery forward netted 26 times on loan at Aston Villa in the same division. He is a Lampard player. Batshuayi and Giroud aren’t. The former seems particularly unsettled and Maurizio Sarri, Lampard’s predecessor, was also unconvinced by him.

Saturday’s setback was emblematic of Lampard’s lack of choice of a traditional striker. Although Mount, Pedro and Hudson-Odoi created havoc on the left none of them could fashion a clinical moment. The manager even gambled on playing the lightweight Willian as a false nine as the match dwindled out. Abraham was ineffective and Batshuayi, the substitute, was pictured hunched forward with anxiety, covering his face with his bib. Lampard will hope to put less emphasis on Abraham in the future.

Check out Alistair Hendrie’s Kindle book, Fight Game: The Untold Story of Women’s MMA in Britain, featuring insight from Rosi Sexton, Joanne Calderwood and more