Malo: Local support has made us feel very much at home

Burkina Faso coach Kamou Malo

Monday Jan 31, 2022. 12:00

Burkina Faso head coach Kamou Malo believes his team is on the verge of something special after beating Tunisia 1-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Saturday.

Dango Ouattara’s strike in first-half stoppage time was enough to see the Stallions through to the semi-finals, although they were made to sweat when the goalscorer was sent off eight minutes from time at the Roumde Adjia Stadium.

The West Africans have now reached the penultimate stage of the tournament for the fourth time in their history, but Malo senses they could go all the way in Cameroon with the continued backing of the local fans.

The whole squad took to the field after the final whistle to show their gratitude to the crowd for the fervent support they received during the encounter.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Malo said: “We haven’t stolen these fans. They supported us out of love for Burkina Faso. It is the moment to say it… we’ve felt very much at home.

“It’s often the great thing about football in Africa and we’ve benefited from that during the match.”

He added: “We’re going to try to keep making our people happy. We’re in the semi-final and it is a huge bonus… we’ve given a good account of ourselves and I believe we have the means to go further.”