Following the defeat of Burkina Faso against Cameroon at the opening of CAN 2021, Bertrand Traoré justified the result of the match by a house arbitration in favor of the Indomitable Lions. A judgment far from reality, for anyone who followed the meeting.
Bertrand Traoré, captain of the Burkina Faso Stallions.
The post-match interview, hot just after the final whistle, remains a perilous exercise. Even more when the outcome of the meeting is not in favor of your team. Bertrand Traoré learned it the hard way. When analyzing the defeat of Burkina Faso before the host country of CAN 2021 , the captain of the Stallions slipped an implication that was as clumsy as it was false.
Of the two penalties awarded to Cameroon, neither can suffer from the slightest challenge, even at real speed. The intervention of the VAR only confirmed the correct decision in such a situation. To use the same type of reasoning as Bertrand Traoré, the only “mistake” of this match, if we speak like that, was also favorable to Burkina Faso. Indeed, Steve Yago should not have played more than two minutes in this match, after his dangerous tackle on Fai. However, he remained on the field for 90 minutes. This sequence on the other hand, the player of Aston Villa took care not to comment on it.
At a time when all the objectives are focused on the flagship competition of African football, this kind of media release does not bring any good. Especially when the very judgment is wrong. But Bertrand Traoré is a young captain, undoubtedly on edge and angry with himself after his fault which led to the first penalty. And probably also because of the episode of the Covid tests which put the nerves of Burkinabé players to the test before the opening match.
Bertrand Traoré, captain of the Burkina Faso Stallions.
Mitigating circumstances, which do not however excuse his remarks. If Bertrand Traoré has chosen this posture to mobilize his group and try to play on this feeling of injustice to be even more motivated, so be it. But it is taking the risk of seeing this strategy turn against them. By adding nervousness to the already ambient tension, some of his teammates could lose track in the matches to come. When confronting Cape Verde, then Ethiopia, the Burkinabés are expected to respond on the ground. Where they have proven in their last outings that they are able to compete with the best teams on the continent. Because, as very often, the best answer will come from the field.
Bertrand Traoré, captain of the Burkina Faso Stallions.
