Aliou Cissé was officially presented to the Libyan press on Thursday evening in Tripoli, after taking charge of the Knights of the Mediterranean. Speaking to reporters, the former Senegal coach made it clear: his decision to join Libya was not motivated by money, but by the sporting project.
A diplomatic response…
After greeting the local journalists in Arabic, the former Lions coach answered questions, aided by an interpreter, in a pleasant atmosphere. And of course, the question of his mega-contract came up…
“I’m a man of projects. If it were for money, I would have left Senegal a long time ago. I’m not an adventurer,” replied the former PSG player, who regularly suffered salary arrears while coaching his country.
An expected response, but one that deserves some nuance. Because while the sporting challenge certainly exists, the financial aspect undoubtedly weighed in the balance. The man who is now the second highest paid coach in Africa, far ahead of a certain Walid Regragui (Morocco) will receive attractive emoluments (we are talking about 76,000 euros per month), at the head of a national team and a country which is beginning to invest massively in the development of football.
…but sincere?
Indeed, while the financial argument is undeniable, the Libyan project is intriguing. Absent from the African Cup of Nations since 2012, Libya has not yet said its last word in the race for the 2026 World Cup, as it currently occupies second place in its group behind Cameroon. Everything remains to be done and built in a country where football has been severely affected for a decade by violence and political instability.
“I want Libya to be among the teams going to the African Cup of Nations. We no longer want to follow the African Cup of Nations on TV,” he stated.
With a team composed primarily of local players, Cissé will have to build a solid team, hoping to convince a few expatriates and dual nationals to join the national team. But as he stated, “we won’t chase any player.” A statement that undoubtedly echoes a first blow: Al-Musrati’s (Monaco) “no” to a return to the national team, his first setback as a coach.
A double-edged gamble
Aliou Cissé is embarking on an interesting and risky mission in a country where football has been in crisis for over a decade. The objective is clear: to lead Libya back to the 2027 African Cup of Nations, and perhaps even cause a surprise in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
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