Lamine Sané, the coach of the Senegal U-17 national team, is preparing to take on a new challenge in his coaching career, setting his sights on competing for the FIFA Junior World Cup title in Qatar 2026, after he led the Teranga Cubs to win the African Cup of Nations in his first major tournament as head of the coaching staff.
Sane (39 years old) does not seem to be a stranger to difficult challenges, as his first professional experiences date back to 2009, when Frenchman Laurent Blanc, then coach of Bordeaux, played him against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and assigned him the task of monitoring Dutch winger Arjen Robben.
After years of that experience, Sane moved from facing international football stars on the field to preparing a new generation of players aspiring to shine on the international scene.
Sani said, in statements to the official website of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA): “I will not hide my ambition. When I prepare my team to participate in a tournament, my goal is to win the title. We want to prove our worth as champions of Africa.”
The former Senegalese defender went through a professional career during which he moved between French club Bordeaux, German Werder Bremen, American Orlando City, and Dutch Utrecht, before heading to coaching after his retirement, benefiting from his long experience on the field.
At the beginning of his coaching career, he returned to the US Lormont club in Bordeaux, where his football career began, before joining the technical staff of the Senegal U-17 national team in 2025 in an advisory role, drawing on his international experience, which included 35 matches for the first team.
After a short experience with the French club Bourges, in which his former international teammate Sadio Mane is the main shareholder, Sani took over the technical leadership of the junior national team, beginning a new phase that quickly ended with a continental achievement.
The Senegalese coach recalled the circumstances of his assumption of the job before the African Cup of Nations, saying: “I joined the team only two and a half weeks before the start of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, but the coaches I worked with during my first period there helped me.”
He added: “That match was an opportunity to evaluate the situation, because we did not have enough time to prepare. We made some adjustments, and our level began to gradually improve until we became stronger and stronger.”
Sane had started his career with a 1-2 loss to South Africa, before the Senegalese team regained its balance and defeated Ghana 1-0, and Algeria 2-1, to lead Group D.
The team continued its progress in the qualifying rounds, achieving victories on penalties, thanks to the brilliance of its goalkeeper, Asane Sarr, who played a decisive role in crowning Senegal with the continental title.
Sane hopes that Sarr will continue his brilliance during the World Cup finals, especially in decisive matches that may require resorting to penalty kicks.
But the first task for the Senegalese national team will be to overcome the Group Six competitions, which include Croatia, Cuba and Tajikistan, in confrontations that the coach believes represent an opportunity to test his team against various football schools.
“This is the essence of the World Cup,” Sane said. This is what you would expect, facing different football cultures. I know a lot about Croatia and we have studied its national team. As for Tajikistan, I don't know much about it. “Cuba has a bit of a South American artistic touch.”
He continued: “Thanks to what we saw and the data available to us, we were able to draw some conclusions. “We will prepare strongly and work to ensure team cohesion.”
The Senegalese coach places team harmony at the top of his technical priorities, in addition to high pressure and quick transitions between defense and attack, which are essential elements in the playing style that he seeks to establish among his players.
He explained: “We are a team that loves to move the ball forward, and is based on teamwork and playing with intensity. We also take advantage of the entire width and length of the field, which allows us to create spaces between the lines, gain possession, and push the opponent out of his organized position.”
Between the ambition of winning the world title and the desire to confirm continental superiority, Sané enters his first World Cup experience as a coach, hoping to lead a new generation of Senegalese talent to an achievement that will be added to the record of African football.
Spaniard Fernando Alonso, two-time world champion in Formula 1, welcomed the approaching seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of joining the club of drivers who have contested 400 races in the world championship, during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil this weekend.
Alonso, 45 years old, is preparing to contest his 430th race in his career at the Sao Paulo Circuit, while Hamilton, 41 years old, will become the second driver in the history of the championship to reach the 400 race barrier.
Alonso said on Thursday: “Lewis had an exceptional career in Formula 1, and he competed in 400 races, during which he was always in a very competitive position. "I congratulate him, and I hope he has a good race and weekend."
The Spanish driver added: “I believe that more drivers will join this club, as the number of races in the championship calendar increases.”
Hamilton played his career in the championship with three teams, starting with McLaren, where he participated in 110 races, during which he achieved 21 victories, and was crowned the World Drivers' Championship for the first time in 2008.
He then moved to Mercedes, which witnessed the most successful era in his career. He competed in 246 races, during which he achieved 84 victories, and added six world titles to his tally, becoming one of the most decorated drivers in the history of the championship.
As for Ferrari, his current team, Hamilton participated in 43 races, during which he achieved one victory, continuing his long career in the first category of motorsport.
The British driver recently indicated his desire to continue competing until his mid-forties, expressing his hope to participate in the future in a grand prix race held on the African continent.
Hamilton's reaching the 400 race mark represents a new milestone in his exceptional career, joining Alonso in a limited list that reflects continuity and experience at the highest levels of competition in Formula 1.
British Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari driver and seven-time world champion in Formula 1 races, confirmed that he will not apologize for expressing his opinions, stressing that he is still frustrated by the incident that brought him together with his colleague Charles Leclerc during the Mexico City Grand Prix last Sunday, and caused the Italian team to waste the opportunity to finish the race in first and second places.
Speaking to reporters in Sao Paulo, Thursday, before the Brazilian Grand Prix scheduled for next week, Hamilton said: “I don't really care how others feel about what I said. I am very honest when I express my feelings at that moment. “I will never apologize for being honest and real, and I will never allow anyone to silence me.”
The British driver had started from first place in Mexico, but lost the lead after a sharp competition with Leclerc in the first turns, which led to the two Ferrari cars leaving the track, allowing Dutchman Max Verstappen to seize the lead and go on to win the race.
Hamilton expressed his dissatisfaction with the way his colleague competed with him, considering that the matter becomes more difficult when the driver finds himself facing a colleague who is working against him within the same team.
He stressed the need for Ferrari to review the style of competition between its drivers, after losing the opportunity to achieve a result that could have given the team a clear advantage over its competitors.
Hamilton explained that he has not yet had an in-depth discussion with Leclerc regarding the incident, as the Monaco driver spent the past days with his family after becoming a father this week.
Leclerc is expected to arrive in Brazil on Friday, but will miss the first free practice session.
"Of course I was frustrated, and I'm still frustrated," Hamilton said. We have to have discussions,” he admitted, in response to a question about whether Leclerc was competing with him more intensely than his other rivals, that this impression was correct.
He added: “We could have easily finished the race in first and second place, so we must definitely work to ensure that what happened does not happen again.”
Hamilton, 41, joined Ferrari last year from Mercedes, while Leclerc has been defending the Italian team's colors since 2019.
The British driver spoke about the challenges that accompany joining a team the size of Ferrari, saying: “I always tried to be respectful. Of course it is not easy for someone like me to join a team, because I am very honest and I keep pushing for changes.”
He stressed that his primary goal remains to achieve victories and compete for titles, stressing the importance of cooperation within the team to reach the required level.
He concluded by saying: “I am here to win, and in order for you to win, you must work with everyone around you. We can all improve our level, and I truly believe that this team is capable of competing for the World Championship title next year.”
