The president of the Senegalese Football Federation, Abdoulaye Fall, has revealed that the doctor who managed the national team’s medical affairs for the past 10 years was a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology rather than sports medicine.
Fall made the disclosure during a press conference on Monday examining the reasons behind Senegal’s disappointing performance at the 2026 World Cup.
According to the federation president, an internal review conducted after the team’s early elimination found that Dr Abdurrahman Faydour, who had overseen the players’ health for a decade, lacked the academic qualifications and professional training normally required to care for elite footballers.
The revelation has raised questions about the treatment, injury-management and rehabilitation programmes provided to the players, while reportedly contributing to a breakdown in trust between members of the squad and the medical team.
Fall also disclosed that federation officials had refused to pay for the national team’s chef to travel to the United States as part of cost-cutting measures.
As a result, Senegal’s players were forced to order their daily meals through food-delivery applications, an arrangement critics described as inappropriate for a national side competing at football’s biggest tournament.
Senegal were eliminated in the first knockout round of the 2026 World Cup following a 3-2 defeat to Belgium. The result prompted criticism of the team’s physical condition and tactical performance.
The federation subsequently dismissed head coach Pape Thiaw and launched a broader investigation into the causes of the decline, amid growing calls for major reforms within the management structure of the Teranga Lions.