Published on : 22/08/2022 – 16:38
After years of debate and reflection, the Beninese Football Federation adopted a new nickname for the national team on Saturday. The Beninese say goodbye to the “Squirrels”, considered unimpressive, and will have to support the “Cheetahs” during the next African Cup, scheduled for winter 2024 in Côte d’Ivoire.
Faced with the “Indomitable Lions”, the “Eagles of Carthage” or the “Elephants”, the nickname of “Squirrels” proudly worn by the selection of Benin since the 1970s often lent itself to teasing or mockery. This era is over since the president of the Beninese Football Federation (FBF) endorsed the change of nickname of the national team to that of “Cheetahs”.
The announcement was made on Saturday August 20 in the wake of the re-election of Mathurin de Chacus as head of the federation.
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“We have already sent a letter to our guardianship to ask for permission to change the name of the national team. From that day, there will be no more Squirrels in Benin as far as football is concerned. From that day on, our footballers will be called Cheetahs,” he said in an interview with Jocelyne Senanhoun, journalist from the Benin Radio and Television Office (ORTB).
It was Norbert Imbs, the first president of the federation (1970-1973), who gave the players the nickname “Squirrels”. He found that they are certainly small build but smart, skilful and fast. In short, not very imposing animals, but capable of climbing high in the hierarchy of African football.
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If she has never played the World Cup with this nickname, the Beninese selection has nevertheless participated four times in the African Cup of Nations (2004, 2008, 2010 and 2019). The last participation to date was that of the epic in Egypt: if the “Squirrels” had never passed the group stage until then, they climbed this year in the quarter-finals, falling arms in hand against Senegalfuture finalist.
An ongoing case for years
Benin has wanted to change its nickname for several years. In 2008, the federation launched the process for the first time without success. It was finally revived in 2018. “The nickname given to the national team must resonate with the population and reflect our strong ambitions in the world of sport. In order to propose a new name to the national team, the executive committee decided to set up a commission on the change of name of the national team of Benin”, explained then the press release.
Steve Mounié, striker of the selection and player of Brest, had suggested opting for the “Pythons” because of the popularity of the animal in the country.
“The python, the snake, is like a symbol in Benin”, he assured BBC Sport. “There is a python temple in Benin, there is a great culture around python. They love python in Benin.”
At the end of February 2022, the federation plan finally took shape. A “broad consultation” was to take place to choose a new qualifier for Beninese players. The FBF had already indicated that it wanted it to be “evocative and respectable”, reminds RFI. Rather than the mighty serpent, the federation preferred a swift feline.
With this new nickname, the neo-“Cheetahs” will have a lot to do. They must reverse the trend in group L of the qualifications for CAN-2024 in Côte d’Ivoire, in which they are in last place after two defeats in as many matches.