Samuel Eto’o, Adebayor, Seydou Keita, Charles Kaboré, Alain Traoré, El Hadj Diouf. All these legends of African soccer were present to celebrate the inauguration of the Stade du 4 Août stadium in the city of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
Officially inaugurated on July 18, 1984, during the presidency of Pan-Africanist leader Thomas Sankara, the stadium was banned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) from official competitions in 2021 due to the deterioration of its infrastructure.
After the renovation, however, the Burkina Faso national soccer team will once again play its friendly and official matches at its home stadium. On September 8, the national team will face Egypt in a qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup.
Throughout the day, which marked the 42nd anniversary of the 1983 Revolution, the symbolic stadium remained packed, with artistic performances, parachute jumps, and a large mosaic of the Burkina Faso flag made by the thousands of people in the stands. But the main attraction was the match, which featured the stars.
Beyond soccer, all players showed their support for the former president of the African country, Ibrahim Traoré, one of the leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and today one of the leading voices in the anti-imperialist struggle on the African continent.
Legend Samuel Eto’o, former Barcelona player and icon of Cameroonian soccer, whose last appearance on the pitch on August 4 had been in 2012, celebrated his return.
“It is a real pleasure to play in such a beautiful stadium in Africa. The development we are seeing on our continent, which is happening before our eyes, is simply incredible. I would like to thank all the people of Burkina Faso for their welcome,” said Eto’o on the pitch.
Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o is one of Ibrahim Traoré’s main supporters and had already been received by the president during a visit to Burkina Faso in May 2023 (Photo: Government of Burkina Faso)
Under Traoré’s watchful eye in the stands, Eto’o scored with a header after an assist from Senegalese player El Hadj Diouf, who scored the winning goal for Senegal against France in the 2002 World Cup and was one of the stars of that historic campaign for the West African country, which reached the quarterfinals.
“It is Africa that wins. Today we are in a united Africa, we need to be together, join hands, and work for Africa to move forward,” said the Senegalese player. He added: “I would like to see Burkina Faso win an African Cup.”
Emmanuel Adebayor, who won the African Player of the Year award in 2008, was honored by the invitation and thanked all the Burkinabe authorities. Before the official game in the stadiums, a festive match brought together soccer stars and Traoré on the same field.
“What an honor to have been present at two unforgettable events alongside the president of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, and all the respected leaders and authorities. Together, we share a common ground and a common goal: to unite African youth in the best way possible,” said the former Togo national team striker.
This article was translated from an article originally published in Portuguese on Brasil de Fato.
The post Eto’o, Okosha, Adebayor: African soccer legends join Traoré to inaugurate stadium in Burkina Faso appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
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