Senegal coach, Amara Traoré, signs three-year contract extension

Dakar, Senegal - Senegal's national football coach Amara Traore has renewed his contract for three years. The contract, which expired 15 Dec., was renewed Tuesday night. The delay in renewing the contract followed the reluctance of officials from the Ministry of Sports to grant his pay hike request.

After the contract extension, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) set the coach a minimum target of reaching the semi-finals of the 2012 Nations Cup.

'The ideal thing would be to win the competition (Nations Cup), qualify and perform well in the 2014 FIFA World Cup,' Augustin Senghor, President of the FSF, said, adding that the federation set short and long term objectives.

Mr. Senghor said coach Traore would continue with his assistants, whose contracts were also renewed.

At the 21 Jan. to 12 Feb. Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, Senegal is in Group A along with Equatorial Guinea, Zambia and Libya.

Pana 28/12/2011