The President of Benin, Patrice Talon, spoke of his pride in seeing the achievement of the Atlas Lions reach the final square of the 2022 World Cup, assuring that this pride was felt throughout the African continent. The Beninese Head of State took as a model the work provided by Morocco to raise Benin also to the same level.
In a speech to the heads of Beninese clubs and sports federations, Patrice Talon spoke of his ambitions to see his country rise to the top level in African and world football competitions, after Morocco’s historic performance during the World Cup. .
The Beninese president indicated that there are only a few African countries that have been carrying the torch at the continental and global levels for some time, taking the case of Morocco at the World Cup, stressing that the performances “are the fruit of ‘work done over time’.
“We all watched the World Cup matches with great interest, great enthusiasm, even pride in some matches. We saw this semi-final between France and Morocco which aroused a lot of pride on the Continent for the first participation of an African team in the final square”, welcomed the President of the Republic.
The Beninese president affirmed that “the Atlas Lions even deserved to be qualified for the final of the tournament”. “They had not only the ability and the talent, but the rage to win. We could see how many people were unhappy after the elimination of Morocco because we were so close to the goal, “he said in comments reported by the presidency of Benin.
To see Benin reach such a level, Patrice Talon reassured that the milestones have already begun to be laid through the various reforms undertaken and the will displayed by the Beninese State to develop the sports sector.
“I invited you to take stock of our beginning. The State has shown its willingness to boost sports development by creating some infrastructure. We had completed 22 stadiums in addition to what we had in the country and another series will start soon,” he concluded.