Nouakchott — Since their historic qualification for the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN), the players on the Mauritanian national football team have been targeted by talent scouts from Cote d'Ivoire to Tunisia.

Ismail Diakite, Abdoulaye Sileye Gueye (Hammam Lif), El Mamy Traore (Gafsa) and many others are negotiating transfers.

This is a dangerous situation for the national team after their CHAN qualification, as it risks being decimated. Two years of work could go up in smoke.

The Mauritanian Football Federation (FFRIM) is trying to stem the outflow of players. Patrice Neveu, the national manager, is also trying to talk his players out of going abroad.

"I'm explaining the situation to them by telling them not to be hasty," he said.

FFRIM is seeking a way of barring players from leaving. This is difficult as there is no right to retain a player who has been allowed by his club to leave. Responsibility is shared with club officials, who seem unaware of the dangers of this situation.

"Our participation in the African Nations Championship is a matter of national importance and club officials must realise that and dissuade their players from leaving," said Massa Diarra, the secretary-general of the Mauritanian Football Federation.

National pride is being used by FFRIM as a way of making players understand the importance of staying on to represent their country. "Playing in the 2014 African Nations Championship in South Africa is a national duty," Massa added.

The task will be a difficult one as the players, who have been contacted regularly by agents on the look-out for talent since the CHAN qualifiers, are under pressure to leave given the uncertain situation of some clubs. With an average age of 21, they lack experience and financial resources.

It is a bonanza for agents, who stand to earn big fees. What is more, the Mauritanian players are not receiving any advice, and this makes things easier for the agents.

But it would be wiser for the Mauritanian internationals to wait, because bigger opportunities could be on offer during the African Nations Championship in South Africa. The championship attracts the attention of recruiters for the top European clubs seeking players with raw talent, such as Ismail Diakite, Palaye, Bessam and others.

Instead of seeking adventure with local Maghreb clubs, players will be able to travel the road to fame from CHAN 2014, which will be followed by the transfer season.

Has this been properly explained to the players? Perhaps not, and this is what officials from FFRIM and its president Ahmed Yahya attempted to explain to players on the national team in the days leading up to the concert held on July 27th at the Stade Olympique by Mauritel.

"We will do everything possible to prevent our team from being decimated by agents whose intentions towards us are dishonourable," the FFRIM president said.

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Adbel Aziz has decided to take matters into his own hands where the national football team is concerned. That became clear during the meeting he held July 22nd with players, technical staff, and FFRIM officials.

The Ministry of Culture, Young People and Sports was not invited to this meeting, which was attended by a number of presidential advisors.

The Mauritanian president previously met officials from FFRIM without the players being present at the beginning of their term of office, and during that meeting he promised them his support "if Mauritania's ranking improves". Much has happened since then, with a first win being achieved in his presence against Liberia in the first round of the qualifiers and a resounding victory over Senegal last Saturday, once again in his presence.

During the long-awaited meeting, the Mauritanian president congratulated the players and the technical staff on their resounding victory over Senegal, at the Stade Olympique and then said that the necessary resources would be made available to ensure that Mauritania is well prepared for the final stages of the African Nations Championship, which will be held from January 19th to February 11th in South Africa.

That announcement was reassuring because, as Neveu had said, "the hardest part is still to come".