CAN 2022: Burkinabé Sawadogo, goalkeeper and peacekeeper
Goalkeeper Babayouré Sawadogo in training with his Stallions teammates on the eve of Burkina-Gabon.
January 22, 2022 in Buea.
© Pierre René-Worns
Text by: Ndiasse Sambe Follow
2 mins
Babayouré Sawadogo lives his second CAN with Burkina Faso as a substitute goalkeeper.
He is one of the rare players of the selection playing in the local Burkinabe championship where his career as a goalkeeper and policeman combines.
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From our special correspondent in Limbé,
The smile, which rarely leaves his face, displays his overflowing bonhomie. Bayaouré Sawadogo has the energy of a young first and the enthusiasm of a player who is discovering the African Cup. However, the RC Kadiogo goalkeeper is in his second AFCON after that of 2017. Even if he has never played a single minute, being there in the middle of the Stallions is enough for his happiness. Sawadogo is one of two players playing in the country to be called up to the 28 of the CAN. A small consecration for this 32-year-old guard, also a chief sergeant in the Burkinabe police.
The native of Bobo-Dioulasso combines his two passions on a daily basis in Ouagadougou even if it is not always easy.
"
It's the rest that I miss
," he said.
I have very busy days.
In the morning, I go around the services to encourage and ensure the sports practice of the elements of the police, and in the afternoon, I am in training with my club
”.
A year in Saudi Arabia
Babayouré Sawadogo has been playing in the Burkina league for nearly ten years.
He knew AS Police, AS Douane and RC Kadiogo.
His talent made him discover a season abroad, in Saudi Arabia in 2019. "
I played a year at Al-Nojoom FC, but at the end of the season, the Saudi clubs had been ordered not to recruit foreign guards.
»
Return to the country without regret for "the dean". “
I was not disappointed. I came back to continue playing. We had to keep in shape and fight to keep my place in the selection
. “The Stallions remain one of the main motivations of Babayouré who never thought of leaving the police uniform to definitively adopt that of the goalkeeper. “
No
! he confides categorically.
The police have fascinated me since I was little, my hierarchy has always supported me
.
It's true that last year, there were offers, but his status as a civil servant delayed things a bit. To get out of the country, you need something clear.
".
In the meantime, the staff sergeant claims to thrive in selection where he sometimes uses his status to restore order to the Stallions.
"
Yes, there are young people, we must not hesitate to call them to order
," he said.
Before adding “
But they are not afraid of me
”, he concludes with a burst of laughter.
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