Senegal coach Guy Stephan has insisted he will not quit despite the co-favourites' defeat to Tunisia in the quarter-finals of the African Nations Cup.
"A lot of people want me to carry on," said Stephan. "It is a strong message of encouragement for me to continue and set new objectives."
Senegal, who were knocked out of the tournament 1-0 in a stormy clash on Saturday, were a shadow of the team which reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 2002.
Stephan told reporters here that even before the African Nations Cup, he was planning ahead with the qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup very much in his mind.
"I am thinking about the qualification for the World Cup and I am thinking about friendly matches for that campaign."
He insisted that there are lessons to be learnt from the African Nations Cup fallout.
"The lesson we can take is that it is not good to assume the role of favourites. To do that, you have to be very strong," said the Frenchman.
"There is always room for improvement. We have to set new targets. We must look forward and qualifying for the World Cup is a very attractive objective."