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The Burkina Faso national team doesn’t have much history or pedigree when it comes to football. They have never qualified for the World Cup and their best ACN finish was in 1998, when they finished fourth while hosting the tournament. They have regularly qualified since 1996, missing only one tournament since then but apart from 1998, Burkina Faso have always went out in the group stages.
How Did They Qualify?
A bye in the first round took them into the second round tie against the Central African Republic. Burkina Faso lost the first leg away 1-0 but eased through with a 3-1 victory at home, thanks to a brace from Lorient striker Alain Traore.
Manager
Paul Put is a Belgian coach whose name shouldn’t be confused with Britain’s Got Talent’s Paul Potts or Cambodian nut job Pol Pot.
Put has a history of controversy. In 2005 he was banned by the Belgian FA for three years for his involvement in match fixing. After that, he managed Gambia for four years before moving to Burkina Faso.
Star Men
Bakary Kone – The 24 year old defender spent most of his career with Guingamp before earning a move to Lyon in 2011. He spent most of his first season in the first XI but has only played five games for Lyon this season. An impressive youngster, Kone is going from strength to strength.
Jonathan Pitroipa – Pitroipa played for both SC Freiburg and Hamburg in Germany before moving to Rennes in France, where he has played 54 times since 2011. He has also made the last two ACN squads and was very impressive in last year’s ACN. A pacey winger who is currently on a goalscoring streak at club level, Les Etalons (The Stallions) will be hoping for similar results during the tournament.
Moumouni Dagano – After playing in France and Belgium, Dagano moved to the Middle East in 2008 where he has played for a number of clubs. He has scored 31 goals for his country and has been quite prolific at the Middle Eastern clubs and currently has eight goals in 12 games for Al-Sailiya.
Dagano in action for Al-Khor. Courtesy of Doha Stadium Plus Qatar
How Far Can They Go?
It’s a tough group containing holders Zambia, Nigeria and Ethiopia and it’s unlikely that Burkina Faso will make it through to the last eight.
