Council Member Justin Sanchez hosts Senegal-France World Cup watch party at Santa Yallah African Restaurant

Council Member Justin Sanchez hosted a watch party for the FIFA World Cup Senegal vs. France game on June 16 at Santa Yallah African Restaurant, in collaboration with Bridging Africa & Black America Inc.

Santa Yallah was decorated with balloons and a flag in support of Nepal; one of 10 African countries competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The restaurant had two TV’s on opposite walls playing a Spanish-language Peacock stream of the game. Though a select few attendees spoke in support of team France, the audience cheered loudest when Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye scored a goal in the second half.

Seconds after Senegal scored their first and only goal in the match.

Directly outside, Sanchez’s Deputy Chief of Staff Mayra Molina participated in handing out flyers, brochures and pamphlets to watch party attendees and passerby.

“This is why we’re here, to make it easier for constituents to access their resources or get their issues resolved in a timely manner,” Molina said.

“Anytime we’re bringing [the] community together and just experiencing all the different vibrant restaurants and supporting our small businesses that we can do in [the] community, always a huge success for team Sanchez,” Sanchez said. Photo by Maurice Burbridge

Among others, these resources included a Residential Tenants’ Rights Guide, tips for handling a potential increased ICE presence during the World Cup, the NYC Workers’ Bill of Rights (in Spanish), and Justin Sanchez brochures (in Spanish, French and English).

Molina said Sanchez’s office hopes to increase the amount of resources available in French and Spanish in the future.

Sanchez said that it’s nice to have events like the World Cup that can bring all members of the community together and offer opportunities for cross-cultural connection. He recalls the 2002 FIFA World Cup as his first.

Last Thursday, Sanchez hosted a World Cup Kickoff event in collaboration with four local restaurants: Noches de Palenque, La Patrona Restaurant, Taqueria El Cebollin JR and Cantina Tarasca.

Even though Senegal lost against France, to the dismay of most attendees, Sanchez still considers the event a success.

“Anytime we’re bringing [the] community together and just experiencing all the different vibrant restaurants and supporting our small businesses that we can do in [the] community, always a huge success for team Sanchez,” Sanchez said.

Maurice Burbridge is an intern at the Bronx Times. He can be reached at mburbridge@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!