Centre-back Issoufou Dayo (34, Wydad AC) is back in the Burkina Faso national team for the double-header against Mauritania, after announcing his international retirement in January. Head coach Amir Abdou warns: his starting place is not guaranteed.
Issoufou Dayo hung up his Burkina Faso shirt in January, after the AFCON. The centre-back is now in the 25-man squad called up for matchdays 3 and 4 of the qualifiers against Mauritania, according to CAFonline. The reasons for the U-turn are not detailed in the sources consulted.
Head coach Amir Abdou was clear. “He is a respected player, who counts for a lot within the national team,” he told Burkina24. But he does not guarantee him a starting place: “He will have to come and fight to earn his place against the players who are already there.”
A return that looks like a test
Amir Abdou’s message leaves no room for doubt: Dayo’s return comes with no privileges. “On the pitch, there will be no gifts,” the coach said, as quoted by Burkina24. At 34, the Wydad AC centre-back will have to prove he remains competitive in a group where competition exists, not least with Edmond Tapsoba, Nasser Djiga and Hervé Koffi, who are also called up.
The clarification comes as Burkina Faso sit among the teams at the top of Group F after the first two matchdays, with a draw against Benin and a win over the Central African Republic.
Dayo is one of the most recognisable figures in the Burkina Faso defence for several years now. His return comes alongside those of Josué Tiendrébéogo and Sacha Banse. The latter is back after several months out injured, while Tiendrébéogo returns to the squad after missing the previous international window.
A larger squad and some absentees
Besides Dayo, the list includes Dango Ouattara, Ismahila Ouédraogo, Mohamed Zougrana, Lohann Doucet, Rachid Kouda, Lassina Traoré, Cyriaque Irié, Georgi Minoungou, Ousséni Bouda, Elohim Kaboré, Aboubacar Camara and Abdoul Fessal Tapsoba. The camp begins on 9 November, before the first leg scheduled for 13 November at the Stade du 4-Août in Ouagadougou, according to Burkina24.
Captain Bertrand Traoré is absent: he is continuing his rehabilitation phase with his club. Amir Abdou did, however, give a timeframe: “He will be with us in March 2027.” A distant deadline that contrasts with the urgency of the Mauritania meeting.
Amir Abdou, the former Mauritania head coach, expects a hard-fought contest against a team he knows well. The second leg is not yet dated in the sources consulted.