Aliou Cisse Senegal coach

Veteran coach Claude Le Roy pleads for patience on Senegal's Aliou Cisse

Veteran French coach Claude Le Roy has asked Senegalese people to be patient with Aliou Cisse, tipping the current team for bigger things in future.

After Le Roy helped Senegal qualify for the 1990 and 1992 Africa Cup of Nations finals, Cisse has become the only other Teranga Lions coach to guide the team to a second straight tournament.

The former Senegal captain led Senegal at the 2017 Afcon finals in Gabon, with their run ending at the quarter-final stage where they were eliminated by eventual champions Cameroon.

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In July Cisse extended his Teranga Lions contract which has a target of reaching the final of the tournament.

“Aliou Cisse is not bad,” Le Roy was quoted as saying by Wiwsport.

“He came not long ago. Give him time to build a team. I think that with time, the team will be fine. He managed to qualify Senegal to the World Cup in Russia.

“This is not bad. Then we see new Senegalese players coming in and it’s only good…In Africa or elsewhere, it is this patience which misses. Cisse knows well the house that has been entrusted to him."

Senegal beat Sudan 1-0 away on Tuesday to secure a berth for the 2019 Afcon with two games to spare.

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