Stopping Algeria is possible! On Sunday, May 31, 1981, the MENA ended the Algerian Fennecs' unbeaten run. NIGER won 1-0 ...on a free kick from Maikano, it was in the 1982 World Cup qualifiers! A repeat performance?
Because we believe in it, IT'S POSSIBLE!
The two defeats suffered by the Mena national team against the Algerian Fennecs in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers continue to dominate the debate among Mena fans and supporters, amidst a backdrop of gnashing of teeth and disgust. Everything seems to indicate that Nigeriens, undoubtedly jealous of the country's honor and image, are no longer able to swallow the bitter "pill" of a vexing defeat.
For the older generation, this situation inevitably reawakened old memories of the clashes between Mena and the Fennecs in 1981, when, in the first leg played in Constantine, Lakhdar Belloumi and his teammates defeated Diagoundi and his teammates 4-0. At the time, this Mena defeat was seen as an affront to Niger's dignity. Thus, in a burst of blissful patriotism, the Nigerien people rose en masse behind the Mena to await the Fennecs in the return match, at the current Niamey Municipal Stadium. The country's highest authorities were on hand to mobilize the public and push the Mena to victory. In the aftermath, the slogan "Impossible is not Nigerien" was launched.
Old-timers still remember the events surrounding this historic match played in Niamey on May 1, 1981. That day, all of Niamey was on their feet, while delegations had flocked from all corners of Niger. And, before noon, the Niamey stadium was already buzzing with excitement, even to the point of being packed. Those who couldn't make the trip crowded around the radio stations to follow the live broadcast of the match. And the result, as we saw: that match, the Diagoundi, Mamane Ali known as Atcha, Maikano, Lawan Didi, Tahirou Daouda, Navajo, Adamou Zibo, Pélé, Adjovi Bernard and all the others, had played it, more with their hearts than with their feet; and they had won it, thus giving immense pride to the Nigerien people. As the late Mamane Garba sang, in the epic he dedicated to this match, the whirling Algerian striker, Lakhdar Belloumi, and his friends had understood nothing of this match. Diagoundi and his team had won the game with a score of 1-0, thus proving that "Impossible is not Nigerien." Just as in other sports, greats like Abdou Djibo (a true legend of Nigerien cycling) and athletics greats like Seydou Hangadoubo, Inni Aboubacar, Ramatoulaye Moumouni, etc. did.
And the lesson to be learned from these grandiose epics of our players and athletes of the time is that the secret to victory lies in love of one's country, a passion coupled with self-sacrifice, a fighting spirit bordering on a rage to win, all with a single motivation: to honor the image of one's country! "To achieve great success in sport, you must first have love for your country, you must be jealous of the image of your country and try to honor it, with the rage to win in your heart," said Champion Abdou Djibo, in an interview he gave in Sahel Dimanche on August 18, 2017. Everything is said, and this is a strong message to our young athletes involved in international competitions, to prove to us in turn that impossible is really not Nigerien.
Nigerdiaspora 
Niger
