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Senegal President Macky Sall was in the mood for jokes with national football team star Sadio Mane following the latter's marriage to Aisha Tamba. Mane tied the knot with his wife in Senegal one week before this month's AFCON and led his country's delegation to the continental tournament.
Mane got married to Tamba after reportedly taking care of her education and welfare for years. The Al-Nassr forward was at his country's presidential office with the rest of his teammates to bid farewell to the president and receive words of encouragement from him.
Sall had a special message for Mane as he congratulated him on the occasion of his recent marriage. He then wished the former Liverpool star a happy marriage, before reminding him that he has a duty to his wife now, apart from football.
"First of all, I would like to warmly congratulate our national Nianthi, Sadio Mane, who has just got married," Sall was quoted as saying by beinSports.
"I called him up so that we could applaud him and wish him a happy marriage. May God bless your home and your descendants. From now on you have another job apart from scoring goals," he added.
Sadio Mane is set to play a crucial role for Senegal in the AFCON in Cote d'Ivoire. They won the tournament for the first time in their history in Cameroon two years ago and will be keen to retain it.
Mane is set to play in his first international tournament since the 2021 AFCON, having missed the FIFA World Cup in 2022 due to an injury.
Sadio Mane keen to lead Senegal to back-to-back continental success
After years of falling short, Senegal finally got their hands on the AFCON trophy in 2022. Sadio Mane scored in the penalty shootout in the final against Egypt teammates to hand his side the title.
Two years later, Senegal are back in search of their second title, with the likes of Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Idrissa Gueye headlining the squad. The core of the squad remains the same as the one that won AFCON two years ago.
The Teranga Lions are second in the Africa rankings behind Morocco and 20th in the world. Senegal have dominated football in Africa over the last 12 months, winning at every age grade. If they do manage to retain the AFCON title in Cote d'Ivoire, they will emulate the dominant Egypt sides of the 2000s.
