GdS: Loyal friend, mediator and alter ego – Siramana Dembele’s importance to Conceicao | OneFootball

Many fans noticed that it was Sergio Conceicao’s assistant Siramana Dembélé that helped de-escalate the tension with Davide Calabria, but just who is he?

La Gazzetta dello Sport recall the events of Sunday afternoon, writing that officially Dembélé is the assistant coach of Milan but for 30 precious seconds he was the man who kept Conceiçao away from Calabria.

Before Youssouf Fofana intervened and the anger calmed, Dembélé was the only buffer between the two quarrelsome fighters. He chased Conceiçao, foreseeing the danger and stopping the encounter from becoming too close.

Who is Siramana Dembélé? He is a friend of Conceiçao and a loyal deputy. He has been working with him since 2012 and for the first time he is his assistant on paper. The friendship between Sergio and Siramana began a long time ago, in Liège, in the 2006-07 season when they were teammates at Standard.

Dembélé told So Foot: “Sergio was the icon of the club. Before meeting him I was impressed, but I love contact with people, so I went to him, uninhibited, and like a fan I asked him for a shirt. Later in the season, he gave me one of his Inter shirts that I still have with me.”

More Stories / Features

Compaction, aggression and mercato help: How Conceicao plans to evolve Milan into a 4-4-2

16 January 2025, 13:40

Milan to build around Conceicao: Why they believe in him and how transfer plans change

9 January 2025, 20:00

‘The best is yet to come’ – Porto insider lifts lid on Conceicao’s tactics, man management and more

9 January 2025, 17:00

Conceiçao and Dembélé began working together on December 29, the same day he arrived at Milan. That time, in 2011, Sergio called Siramana: “I’m going to coach at Olhanense, come with me. We’ll start on New Year’s Eve.”

Dembélé didn’t need to be told twice and since then it’s been like this, moving forward together without compromise. He added: “To live with Sergio is simple: you have to love and want to win. He hates comfort, he makes those around him progress. He’s very intelligent, he’s a very sensitive and very generous person. He helps many people around him and he’s very loyal.”

Dembélé has had opportunities as a head coach but he has always said no, he has always followed his own particular path, like as a footballer. He signed his first professional contract at 25, after studying and working in advertising.

The Frenchman is a calm man, a man of dialogue. He is the one who talks to the players every day, he is the one who mediates when Conceiçao acts tough. A ‘thoughtful alter ego’, he comes into play – like all ambassadors – when the situation becomes complex.

Some Milan fans noticed him immediately, especially during an incident like Sunday’s, but Siramana generally prefers to work under the radar. He followed the games in the stands at Porto, to give tactical advice, while at Milan he sits on the bench.

What happened? It happened that Vitor Bruno, the former assistant to Conceicao, spoke to Andrea Villas Boas about becoming the new Porto boss after AVB had just been elected the new president. Sergio believed it to be a betrayal, ending their collaboration.

We conclude with Dembélé’s comment, which speaks for itself: “I have known Sérgio for almost 20 years and his attitude towards his colleagues on the staff has always been one of loyalty, without compromise.

“For him, we are family. When we went to Olhanense, he agreed to earn less so that the club would increase my salary, and not everyone does that.” In short, Dembélé would never have spoken to Villas Boas.