CAN 2021: "As much Marseillais as Comorians", the qualification of the Coelacanths in the heart of the Boina clan
Friends and family of Comorian international Ben Boina celebrate the qualification of the Coelacanthes for CAN 2021 on March 25, 2021 in Marseille.
© Martin Guez / RFI
Text by: Martin Guez
5 mins
If the very first qualification of the Comoros was indeed obtained in Moroni (thanks to the 0-0 draw against Togo), it was particularly followed and celebrated in Marseille, home town of most of the players and the coach.
Particularly in the northern districts of the city, where the majority of the Comorian community in Marseille lives, estimated at 100,000 people.
Among them, the friends and family of Ben Boina, the porter of the Caelacanthes.
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With our special correspondent in Marseille,
“
Ah me, today, I put on the jersey!
Go Greens, Veri Piya!
“A jersey in the name of Ben Boina, of course.
The usual titular goalkeeper is a replacement against Togo, but he remains one of the darling of the team and the pride of his mother:
“
What a relief!
We are qualified, I am proud of my children.
We had a good party at home with the family, Ben's friends, Ben's friends… Ah really, it's a big day for us.
There is no word to express the joy that I feel.
I am very happy.
Thank you my son !
"
🇰🇲 Moment of history in Moroni and Marseille: the Comoros qualify for CAN 🥳 #VeriPiya pic.twitter.com/KU6tivaYfh
- Martin Guez (@Martin_Guez) March 25, 2021
Impossible to miss such a moment, so Mrs. Boina took her day, she who works in a retirement home in the region.
Since “Ben” was 6 years old, she is the one who takes him to football: to training, to matches… Today she does not miss a meeting with the player from Martigues.
► To read also: CAN 2021: historic qualification of the Comoros in the African Cup
Set back from the surrounding effervescence, Ali, traditional Comorian hat on his head, confides.
His son has just shed light on a whole community: “
I didn't want him to be a footballer, rather an engineer!
He smiles.
“
But today I'm very proud of him.
This is his road, this is his way.
His mom has always loved football, me not too much.
And yet, when I was little in Foumbouni (a village south-east of Moroni), I played as a guard on the beach with my friends.
We didn't have a ball, so we played with cardboard balls or banana leaves on the beach.
It's incredible how far we've come.
"
A deliverance for the whole small assembly: about twenty people gathered in the tiny living room in the Micocouliers district, in the very popular 14th arrondissement of Marseille.
Among them, the talkative Soilhou, Ben's best friend.
“
It's a big sigh of relief!
We've been waiting for this for so long.
I think the temperature must be approaching 50 ° C in Moroni.
It was very hot, here the community and the diaspora are very happy and very proud of their soldiers.
"
But before dancing, singing and celebrating, everyone got stressed out.
Abdou, Ben's little brother, Omar, his cousin, and all the others remained suspended from the comments of
Kassim Oumouri
, journalist for the
ORTC
, the Comorian national channel (the only broadcaster of the match).
And to be patient, it was better to gain strength: “
The meeting point for history is set for 3:45 pm (note: the match started at 2 pm), so we are very focused and we refuel.
With samosas!
This is the Comorian specialty, and here, they are the best in the region,
”explains a friend while stuffing himself.
🇰🇲It's the break between Comoros and Togo, still 0-0 in Moroni.
7,000 kilometers away, supplies in Marseille in the Ben Boina family, with the mothers, brothers and cousins of several players #VeriPiya pic.twitter.com/MZ1ENEzwv5
- Martin Guez (@Martin_Guez) March 25, 2021
“
Here is the Comoros consulate!
»Laughs Laetitia, singer and best friend of Ben.
“
It's the fan-zone, the HQ, the ritual.
We've all known each other forever.
With three essential ingredients: family, close friends, and samosas of course, it's very important (laughs).
"
At the end of the meeting, some return to work, others put on their jackets to go rue Félix-Pyat, an emblematic district of the Comorian community in the city center.
“
For at least two days, we will take advantage of this enthusiasm!
», Savors one of Ben Boina's cousins.
"
We will take advantage of the pleasure of claiming even more strongly that we are proud to be Comorians!"
And it's not over, we're going to have a great adventure thanks to the national team.
This is only the beginning, on the contrary.
"
Coelacanths who swam from the shores of the Comoros to those of Cameroon, passing through the Old Port of Marseille, of course.
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