Senegal football chief says national team doctor lacked proper expertise

Senegal Football Federation President Abdoulaye Fall said the national team's doctor did not have the required medical expertise, following the team's underwhelming performance at a World Cup held in North America. Speaking at a press conference, Fall said the team doctor had been trained as an obstetrician-gynecologist and that the federation had been slow to recognize the issue. He added that players were not fully satisfied with the medical support available, and that the federation had sought to provide additional specialized care to reassure the squad. The Senegalese Society of Sports Medicine rejected Fall's remarks, calling them unfounded and damaging to professional reputations. The society said Dr. Abdrahmane Fidié has held a sports medicine diploma from the Cheikh Anta Diop University Faculty of Medicine and has served with the national team since 2017. The federation has already parted ways with head coach Babi Thioune following the team's elimination. Senegal lost to France and Norway in the group stage and was eliminated in the round of 32 after leading Belgium 2-0 in regular time before losing 3-2 in extra time. No further details on potential changes to the team's medical staff were immediately available.