Quarter-finalist of CAN 2019, Madagascar will try to qualify for its second final phase. The Islanders face Ethiopia today in Bahir Dar, before receiving Niger on March 30. They could settle for just one point to achieve this goal. Romain Métanire (30 years old, 15 caps), the defender of Baréa and Minnesota United (United States / MLS), expects a complicated match against the Ethiopians.

Romain Métanire , Madagascar will tackle these two crucial matches without some of its executives, such Anicet Abel (Ludogorets Razgrad / Bulgaria), your captain, or Jérémy Morel (Lorient / France), who could not join the selection because of health constraints …

Yes, it’s obviously annoying not being able to count on such important players. Because we are going to play two decisive matches. We know they will cheer us on, but we would have preferred them to be with us. We will miss their experience, but we have to deal with these absences.

On the other hand, Faneva Andriatsima (Al-Hamriyah / United Arab Emirates), who retired internationally in 2019, was recalled by Nicolas Dupuis, the coach …

This is indeed very good news. Faneva is an icon in Madagascar. A very important player, very experienced, able to score at any time. He is a leader, he has also contributed with the coach to build this selection. It will therefore bring us a lot.

Mathematically, Madagascar could be satisfied with a single point over the next two meetings. Are you ready to challenge Ethiopia, which performs particularly well at home?

Ethiopia beat Ivory Coast (2-1) and Niger at home(3-0). So that says it all. She is very strong at home. Already, on the first leg, despite our victory (1-0, November 16, 2019), it had posed a lot of problems for us. It’s a rather technical team, with lively players. There are also similarities between the two selections. We obviously expect a complicated game. Ethiopia needs to win to stay in the race. We are one point higher than her. Yes, we can be satisfied with a single point in the last two matches, if the other results are in our favor (if Côte d’Ivoire wins its last two matches in Niger and against Ethiopia, note), but the ideal would be to achieve a result in Ethiopia, and to end with us with a success against Niger.

                            “We have a lot of solidarity and desire”

The Barea of ​​Madagascar

Since reaching the quarter-finals of CAN 2019, is the Malagasy selection perceived differently?

Yes. When we managed to qualify for CAN in Egypt, it was a surprise to a lot of people. But with the route we have taken there, Madagascar’s status is no longer the same. It is a team which practices attacking, technical football, and which has shown that it can compete with the best. We continue to work to improve ourselves. Many players present at the beginning of the adventure are still there, others have arrived. And the results continue to be positive. Today there is a certain expectation around us.

Especially in Madagascar …

It is a country that loves football. People are happy and proud of our results. They are waiting for us to qualify for the CAN. They saw the selection cross a first milestone, when it qualified for the Egyptian CAN. For them, for us, going to Cameroon next year would be a new step. We know that our team does not have players playing in big European clubs, but we have our arguments: a game project, a lot of solidarity, of desire. We are aware that the status of Madagascar has evolved in recent years, that we are taken more seriously.

You have been international since August 2018, but you have become an executive. What does Nicolas Dupuis, your coach, ask you?

I will soon be 31 years old (March 28, editor’s note). So I have some experience, since I have played in good European championships, in France (Metz, Reims) and in Belgium (Kortrijk). I now play in the United States, and the coach knows that I always set an example, that I get high on the pitch. He knows he can count on me, on my commitment. One of the strengths of our selection is this state of mind.