“There is rarely a happy medium when it comes to pride: you either have too much of it or not enough,” said Irish novelist, Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington. For Mohammed Diallo, captain of Mauritania’s beach soccer team, to say that he is brimming with pride as the spring approaches would be an understatement, and rightly so. For almost two years, the Mauritanian side have been in a rich vein of form on the sand, driven chiefly by the vision and ambition of their coach Moussa Baghayogho, who took the reins following a decade of disappointment.
Baghayogho: No limits to Mauritania’s beach soccer ambitions
The first glimmer of hope came in May 2023 at the Arab Cup in Saudi Arabia where the Mauritanians surprised many by making it to the quarter-finals, before ultimately being eliminated by eventual winners Egypt (8-3). With their confidence high, they followed this with their first major achievement, claiming victory over two-time champions Nigeria to qualify for their first ever Africa Cup of Nations.
The victory, which was won by the tightest of margins via the away goals rule (10-10 on aggregate), didn’t really come as a surprise to Mohammed Diallo. “Our coach, who is very smart, said to us: ‘If you work hard, you will go far’,” recalled the Mauritania captain in an exclusive interview with FIFA. “That’s what we did and we are very proud of what we achieved.”
Having arrived in Egypt to compete in the AFCON, Mauritania continued their rapid ascent, making it all the way to the final before losing 6-1 to a formidable Senegal side, who have won the tournament eight times. This unexpected second-place finish earned the Mauritanians direct qualification for their first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™.
“Inshallah, we will go far in the Seychelles”
“It’s the highpoint of my career,” reveals Diallo – who is currently observing Ramadan – between prayers. “It will be our first time competing in the World Cup; in the name of Allah, it’s an honour for us. It’s amazing.” The Mauritanian captain, who is a former 11-a-side player in his country, is a determined character and has no intention of stopping there.
“We have solidarity, discipline, mentality, courage. Inshallah, we will go far in the Seychelles. We will prepare properly, just like we did for the AFCON. God will decide; no matter which team we face, we will beat them. We can beat anyone and we will give everything to try and win. We’re going to make history, inshallah.”
Before flying to the Seychelles in April in pursuit of their dream, the Mauritanians will continue preparations at home. In February, the team attended a training camp in Malaga where they played three matches against the Spanish national team, who have also qualified for the World Cup. The week-long camp was punctuated by two defeats and a win against the Spaniards, but also planted the seed of another dream in the mind of Diallo. “I would absolutely love to go and play on the beach in Europe,” says the defender. “I am working hard and sacrificing a lot to try and achieve this.”
“To begin with, I’d never even heard of beach soccer”
While today he loves playing on sand, that wasn’t always the case for the player who was recently recognised as the best in the Moroccan beach soccer league, playing for his club side Olympique Serghini. “To begin with, I’d never even heard of beach soccer. If I discovered this sport, it’s all thanks to our coach ‘Bagha’; he found me and convinced me that I could be a success in beach soccer. He taught me everything, he guided me. It’s thanks to him that I’m here today.”
In fact, Diallo is now Moussa Baghayogho’s key player, and given his mindset and enthusiasm, it’s no coincidence that Mauritania’s former 11-a-side captain handed him the armband. “When I play, I play to win. I’m prepared to give my all on the pitch,” says Diallo. “That’s my strong point.”
In a few weeks’ time in the Seychelles, Mauritania will be able to rely on the never-say-die attitude of their 26-year-old captain, who, alongside his coach and his teammates, will have the chance to experience the adventure of a lifetime. “Being an international is not easy on its own, but competing in a World Cup is truly an honour for me and for the whole team. We’re a tight-knit group so we believe we can achieve something special there. We’re not a group of individuals, we’re a family.” And it’s a family of which he can rightly be proud.
