Hyderabad
As the full-time whistle blew at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium on Tuesday, the air smelt of dissatisfaction as India had failed to score against Mauritius, resulting in a goalless draw.
But those frustrated murmurs turned to a warm cheer as the announcement came - “The Man of the Match award goes to Mauritius player No. 22 and captain Lyndsay Marc Rose.”
The Hyderabad crowd did not fail to show appreciation for the robust Mauritian centre-back and for good reason, for he and his centre-back partner Dylan Collard played a crucial role in keeping out a power-packed Indian attack boasting the likes of Manvir Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Liston Colaco among others.
Captaining the Mauritius team dubbed as the underdog of the tournament, Lyndsay had to cope with not just a physical battle on the pitch but also a mental one, saying that his primary focus was to treat the match like any other and not get carried away by the occasion.
“We always knew the match was going to be difficult as India has some good players and of course, the home support. Honestly, I was surprised by the level of football played by the Indian team. They are under a new coach, yet they played some good football. Of course, there are places to improve but they gave us a tough fight,” the 32-year-old Mauritius captain told Sportstar.
Lyndsay missed the 2017 Tri-Nation Tournament, where India beat Mauritius 2-1, making his national debut a few months after that match. However, the French-born footballer is not unaware of the footballing culture in India. A close friend of Odisha FC’s Hugo Boumous - a known face in Indian football, Lyndsay had long conversations with him on the phone, familiarising himself with the footballing ethos of the country, the league structure and the best players in the Blue Tigers camp.
“I know he [Boumous] is going to play a final tomorrow (when Odisha FC takes on FC Goa in the Bandodkar Trophy 2024 final). We were together over the summer. He always told me nothing but the best things about India and the players. But hearing and playing are two different things. I got to experience that in the last match,” said Lyndsay.
Lyndsay’s vision for the Mauritius football team and the role of the government
Born in France, Lyndsay represented the French youth team from the U-18 to U-21 levels, before pledging his allegiance to the Mauritius national team. He played for French clubs like Valenciennes, and Lorient and enjoyed Champions League football during his time with Lyon. Having also featured for Polish club Legia Warsaw, he currently plays his club football in Greece with Aris.
Asked if he ever intends to follow Boumous’ footsteps and play in India, Lyndsay said that it is a target for him and something he has not ruled out - “Right now, I don’t want to say anything because I am still under contract with my team but I would love to play here someday. Whether it is in the near future or later I don’t know. But I am still young (smiles). I like to play with emotion and put my experience to good use. If I have the opportunity to come to India, I will come.”
Elaborating on the footballing landscape in Africa, Lyndsay said that the highest level of football in the continent is extremely competitive, citing examples of Ivory Coast, Egypt and Cameroon. However, he said that in recent years, there has been a significant tilt in the dynamics where smaller teams like Angola, Congo, Cape Verde and Libya have risen and provided tough competition to the heavyweights.
The Mauritius captain believes that is the next step for the Les Dodos. Being a professional footballer, he is aware that the process won’t be complete overnight but said that Mauritius is ready to take the next step and is eager to remove the ‘underdog’ tag and the way to achieve that would be to challenge the big teams.
“We beat Eswatini, a higher-ranked team in the World Cup Qualifiers. Last year, we beat Angola too. In the last 10 years, we have improved a lot. When we last played Cameroon, we lost 3-0 and conceded two late goals. A few years ago, in the same match, we lost 7-0. So we have improved. The federation has worked very well and I want to congratulate them. The government has also helped us to be together. So, it is a long process but we can already see the positives.”
The Mauritian captain said while there is scope for improvement, their government has done an excellent job in promoting sports in the country, which is relatively small and has fewer people. Comparing the excellent work African countries like Morocco, Senegal and Cameroon are doing, he genuinely believes that Mauritius has one of the best facilities in Africa.
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“We have a high-performance centre not just for football but for other sports like athletics and rugby. We also want to bring some players from Africa to Europe as players in the lower levels need exposure at the higher levels to improve their game. We have already seen a player transfer from the Mauritian football league to the Czech Republic (Wilson Mootoo, who moved to the Czech club, Slezsky FC Opava),” said the Mauritian captain, saying his country would be more than glad to host India if they decide to come and see the facilities.
Next obstacle - Syria
Facing Syria next, Lyndsay knows that his team has another major obstacle ahead, with the Eagles of Qasioun being the highest-ranked team. However, Lyndsay pointed out the unpredictable nature of the beautiful game and said while most expect Syria to destroy Mauritius on the pitch, anything can happen in football.
“We will show them that we are not only a small island, but we play with our hearts. We always give our best. If you think positively, positive things will happen to you. Let us see what happens throughout the 90 minutes.”
Playing a team like Syria is bound to be nerve-wracking for the Mauritian team, with many players not even playing football at a professional level and having jobs outside the sport. But as captain, Lyndsay always urges his teammates to transfer all the pressure to him so that his teammates can enjoy their football.
“My players just need to be focused on their performance and the rest, I will handle the rest. I like this responsibility. Yes, I am the captain but more than that, the younger players consider me their big brother and it is my job to take the responsibility and the pressure.”
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