France <\/b>match for the World Cup<\/b> is not just a match between two national teams. It is a match between two countries linked by ties <\/b>spanning more than three centuries, a relationship shaped by colonialism<\/b>, wars, migration, and political developments in West Africa.<\/b><\/p>\nFor the average fan, the mind immediately turns to the 2002 World Cup<\/b> and Senegal\u2019s 1-0 victory<\/b> over then-world champion France. However, the historical background of this rivalry runs much deeper.<\/p>\nThe French colony that became the \u201cshowcase\u201d of West Africa<\/b><\/h3>\n
The French presence in Senegal <\/b>began in the 17th century and gradually evolved into full colonial control<\/b>. Dakar became the most important administrative center of French West Africa<\/b>, a vast colonial territory that included many of the region\u2019s current countries. Initially, in 1677,<\/b> France had gained control of what had become a small hub for the Atlantic slave trade<\/b>: the island of Gor\u00e9e near modern-day Dakar, which was used as a base for purchasing slaves from warring tribes on the mainland. European missionaries<\/b> introduced Christianity<\/b> to Senegal and Casamance in the 19th century. Slavery was abolished in 1850<\/b> and the French began to expand into mainland Senegal.<\/p>\n
Senegal held a special place in the French colonial system. Its four major cities\u2014Dakar, Saint-Louis, Gore <\/b>and Rufisque <\/b>\u2013 enjoyed privileges not found in other colonies, while serving as a testing ground for French assimilation policy<\/b>.<\/p>\nThe Senegalese who fought for France<\/b><\/h3>\n
In January 1959<\/b>, Senegal and French Sudan<\/b> merged to form the Federation of Mali<\/b>, which became fully independent on June 20, 1960, as a result of a transfer of power agreement signed with France on April 4, 1960.<\/b> Due to internal political difficulties, the Federation dissolved on August 20, 1960<\/b> when Senegal and French Sudan (renamed the Republic of Mali) declared their independence.<\/p>\n
During World War I and World War II<\/b>, tens of thousands of African soldiers<\/b> served in the French army as \u201cSenegalese Tirailleurs\u201d (Tirailleurs S\u00e9n\u00e9galais)<\/b>. Despite the name, the corps included soldiers from many French colonies in Africa.<\/p>\n
They fought on the European fronts and contributed significantly to the defense <\/b>and the liberation of France.<\/b> However, after the wars ended, many faced inequalities in compensation <\/b>and pensions, an issue that poisoned relations between the two sides for decades.<\/p>\n
Senegal gained independence in 1960, but ties with Paris were never severed.<\/p>\n
France remains a presence today<\/b><\/h3>\n
Six decades after independence, the French language <\/b>remains the official language <\/b>of Senegal, while France remains one of the country\u2019s most important economic and political partners.<\/p>\n
At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people of Senegalese origin live in France<\/b>, forming one of the strongest African communities in the country. This reality is also reflected in soccer<\/b>. Many Senegalese internationals<\/b> were born or developed as soccer players in France<\/b>, while several players on the French national team have family roots in Senegal.<\/p>\n
That is why Senegal\u2019s victory in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup <\/b>took on symbolic significance that went beyond soccer. For many Senegalese, it was a historic moment against the former colonial power.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four years later, the two countries meet again in the World Cup.<\/b> The result will be decided on the field, but the history surrounding this matchup began long before the opening whistle and continues to shape how they perceive one another.<\/p>\n
You can read more stories like this in a 640-page, large-format study in the book “Confidential World Cup<\/b>,” published by Historical Quest<\/b>.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From colonialism and the world wars to migration, language, and the historical shock of 2002.
\nTonight\u2019s Senegal vs. France match for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11028,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}