Published on : 02/02/2022 – 01:13
No sooner had he hung up his boots than Aristide Bancé returned to the Burkina Faso team. The 37-year-old former striker is the manager of the Stallions. Before the CAN 2022 semi-final against Senegal, Aristide Bancé confides in RFI about this new life, his passage from the field to the bench, his relationship with his ex-teammates, his projects…
From our special correspondent in Yaoundé,
Aristide, Burkina Faso is in the semi-finals of CAN 2022 and will face Senegal ; how are you feeling before this game ?
I am very happy. As manager of the selection, to end up in the semi-finals with almost a new generation… I’m really happy. When we arrived here in Cameroon, I believe that we alone believe in these “children”. And the players themselves believed in them, in their capacity. Being in the semi-finals today is a pleasure. There have been changes with the old ones who have stopped the selection, but the current team is performing quite incredible. I’m really proud of this team.
You are one of those veterans who quit recently. But you stayed in football since we already find you in the position of manager of the national team…
Make that decision to quit was not easy. I still had the strength. I could still play, I could even still make a last CAN. But a decision had to be made. I thought about it and thought it was time. When you’re playing and you’re only at 95%, it’s better to stop. That’s how I made my decision. Afterwards, I asked myself a lot of questions, including the one about what I was going to do after football. Me, it’s sport, football, I don’t know how to do anything else. This is the job I chose. After everything I’ve been taught in my career, it’s up to me to share my experience with young players. That’s how I decided to stay in football. I was offered this position (manager of Burkina Faso) and I did not refuse it. I accepted because it is my country. There is nothing better than serving my country. That’s why I accepted.
” I’m comfortable with myself “
And going from the pitch to the edge of the pitch, that ain’t a little weird ?
At first it was not easy. It’s a bit difficult when you stop. You go to the stadium and you watch your friends playing… But to everything, there is an end. When I was playing, I knew that a playing career could end at any time. My career has been almost 15 years long, it’s not given to anyone. When I’m with the youngsters or when I’m on the bench at the edge of the pitch, I feel on the pitch. Faced with an action, I say to myself “if it were me”… It’s football, but little by little, I was able to get over that and consider myself a big brother for them (the players of Faso) to guide them and put them on the right track. Every footballer regrets the pitch when he stops. It’s a shock but gradually everything is back to normal. I’m good in my skin, it’s ok!
In this team, there are players with whom you played when you were on the pitch. How are your relations with them?
Everything’s fine ! It’s easy. I played with Hervé Koffi, Steeve Yago, Bertrand Traoré, Issoufou Dayo, Cyrille Bayala, I also played with some of the younger generation… They know me, I know everyone. They know who I am. For me and for them, it’s a plus. We talk a lot, we share our experiences. We talk very easily. We put the atmosphere together as if I were a player. But when you have to be serious, when you have to tell the truth, I can speak and everyone listens. When we can have fun, we do it as if we were colleagues. So it’s easy for players to confide in me, because we’re friends. I am not a leader with whom there would be a barrier, no. I’m not in the field with them, but right next to them, as a big brother.
“Kamou Malo is like a dad to me”
And what is your relationship with coach Kamou Malo ? Did you manage to strike a balance?
It goes well. I’m not in coaching, I’m next. If he wants my opinion, that’s fine. He’s like a dad to me. I know who he is. Now he has the last word. But the relationship is going well.
Can this managerial experience make you want to become a coach later, or to have other functions in the rest of your career?
I like football. And in football, often you have to be patient and start slowly. It is my dream to be, one day, on the bench of a team (as a coach). It’s all work. But I haven’t arrived yet. You still have to graduate. But it’s something I’m thinking about. I’m thinking of getting into that. I have enough experience. You just have to believe. I think when you love, you can. I love football and I want to do something wonderful in football. I want to write my own story.
