Diambars: the Senegalese academy that came to Berlin
Founded in 2003 by Patrick Vieira and other players, Diambars mixes school and football in Saly, Senegal. It played at Festival 06 and won the 2013 league.
Of the 22 teams that played the streetfootballworld festival 06 in Berlin, one came from a project that was barely three years old and already had an unusual pedigree. Diambars, from Senegal, had been founded by professional footballers, and its club would go on to become champions of Senegal.
Founded by players
Diambars was founded in 2003 by the former footballer Patrick Vieira together with other players. It is based in Saly, on the Senegalese coast, and is a non-profit organisation certified by UNESCO.
The idea behind the project was that young people should leave the academy with an education as well as football skills. Football is the attraction; school is part of the deal.
Berlin 2006
Diambars travelled to Berlin in July 2006 as one of four African teams that made it to the festival, alongside the Mathare Youth Sports Association from Kenya, Football for Peace from Rwanda and KickAIDS from South Africa. Two other African teams, from Ghana and Nigeria, were refused visas and could not take part.
The festival’s format, five-a-side matches of twelve minutes for players aged 16 to 21, was a long way from the 11-a-side football that Diambars’ best players were heading for. But it fitted the festival’s idea: a tournament of projects, not of clubs, where the point was to show what football was doing in each community.
From academy to the top division
What makes Diambars unusual among the Festival 06 participants is how far its football side went. The club, Diambars FC de Saly, started in Senegal’s regional championships. After topping the regional divisions it turned professional in 2009, climbed through the national divisions and reached Ligue 1 for the first time in 2011.
The rise did not stop there:
| Season | Result |
|---|---|
| 2011 | First Ligue 1 season: first in Group A, second in the final phase behind Casa Sports |
| 2013 | Senegalese champions, with a club-record 52 points, 14 wins and a league-high 42 goals |
| 2014 | Only appearance in the CAF Champions League: 1–1 with ASFA Yennenga, lost 4–2 on penalties |
| 2016 | League Cup winners |
| 2016–17 | Third in Ligue 1 |
| 2019 | League Cup winners again |
The club also won the Coupe de l’Assemblée Nationale three years running, in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
The players it produced
Diambars’ best-known graduates include Idrissa Gueye, Kara Mbodj, Pape Souaré and Saliou Ciss. Another, Serigne Kara, signed for Norway’s Tromsø IL in 2010, becoming the first Senegalese player at a club north of the Arctic Circle; Saliou Ciss later followed him there.
For a project that sent a five-a-side team to a square in Kreuzberg, it is a remarkable record. It also shows a tension that runs through football for development: an academy that produces professionals is measured by its stars, while most of its young people will never play professionally. Diambars’ answer was to make schooling part of the programme from the start.
FAQ
Who founded Diambars?
Former footballer Patrick Vieira and other players, in 2003.
Where is Diambars?
In Saly, on the coast of Senegal.
Did Diambars play at Festival 06?
Yes. It was one of the 22 teams at the streetfootballworld festival 06 in Berlin, from 2 to 8 July 2006.
Has Diambars won the Senegalese league?
Yes, in 2013, with a club-record 52 points.
Conclusion
Diambars is the clearest example of how different the Festival 06 projects were from each other: some ran neighbourhood leagues, others ran academies that sent players to Europe. Read about the other teams in the Festival 06 archive or about football in Senegal’s development scene.