Senegal Football Federation president Abdoulaye Fall has claimed players lost confidence in the national team’s doctor during the FIFA World Cup 2026 after learning of his medical background…reports Africa Daily News Desk
Senegal Football Federation (FSF) president Abdoulaye Fall has claimed that players lost confidence in the national team’s doctor during the FIFA World Cup 2026 after discovering he had been trained as a gynaecologist, prompting the federation to reinforce its medical staff during the tournament.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday while reviewing Senegal’s World Cup campaign, Fall said concerns among players emerged late in the competition and affected their confidence in the medical support available to them.
“Based on the feedback I received, the players were not sufficiently reassured about being supported by him,” Fall said.
According to Fall, the federation responded by bringing in additional medical expertise to reassure the squad.
“We had to find convincing expertise so they could feel reassured, because health comes before everything,” he said.
The remarks were swiftly rejected by the Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine, which described the allegations as “unfounded and defamatory” in a statement issued later on Monday.
The association said national team doctor Abderahmane Fediore holds a specialist diploma in sports medicine and sports biology from the Faculty of Medicine at Cheikh Anta Diop University.
It added that Fediore previously headed the physiotherapy department at Fann Hospital and has served as Senegal’s national team doctor since 2017. During that period, he has worked at three FIFA World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
The controversy comes only days after the FSF dismissed head coach Pape Bouna Thiaw following Senegal’s underwhelming performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Thiaw had overseen a successful period for the national team before the tournament. Senegal completed their World Cup qualifying campaign unbeaten and went on to win the Africa Cup of Nations by defeating Morocco in the final.
However, the Lions of Teranga failed to meet expectations at the World Cup. They lost their opening two group-stage matches against France and Norway before registering a 5-0 victory over Iraq to reach the Round of 32. Their campaign ended with a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Belgium.
Thiaw, who represented Senegal during the country’s memorable run to the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, was relieved of his duties on Saturday. The federation has yet to name his successor as preparations begin for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
