The Beninese Football Federation (FBF) wants to change the name of its national team. This nickname, “Squirrels”, dates back to the 1960s and symbolizes a small country that is looking to climb high.
But the executive committee of the Beninese Football Federation believes it is time to change to better express the ambitions of the Beninese team. “The nickname given to the national team must echo the population and reflect our strong ambitions in the world of sport,” they confirm in a statement.”
“In order to propose a new name to the national team, the executive committee decided to set up a commission on the renaming of the national team of Benin,” they explain.
An attempt in 2008
The FBF has also launched an online survey that allows Internet users to propose a new nickname. This is not the first time that Benin has tried to change the nickname of the team, a similar gesture was initiated in 2008, but without success. Benin never qualified for the World Cup and played in the African Cup of Nations only in 2004, 2008 and 2010.
Source: BBC
