The African champions have suffered a huge blow just days before their opening match against The Netherlands.
Senegal have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their match against The Netherlands after Sadio Mane was ruled out of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Mane was initially in Senegal’s 26-man squad for the Mundial, but his participation was put in doubt after picking up an injury in Bayern Munich’s penultimate league game just before the tournament started.
Mane to miss Senegal’s World Cup campaign
The former Liverpool man walked off midway through the first half in Bayern Munich’s 6-1 win over Werder Bremen. Following the game, rumours emerged that Mane would miss over a month, ruling him out of the World Cup.
Nonetheless, Senegal coach Aliou Cisse included his talisman in the 26-man squad before confirming that he would miss the first game.
Senegal confirm Mane’s absence
However, the Senegal Football Federation has now ruled the African player of the year out of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. In a video shared on the Federation’s Twitter page, the SFF revealed Mane would not recover in time for the World Cup and, as a result, has been ruled out of the competition.
Mane’s absence is a massive blow for Senegal as he is their star player. The 30-year-old scored the winning penalty that won Senegal their first Africa Cup of Nations title and the penalty that sent them to the World Cup.
It remains to be seen if Cisse will call up a replacement for the Bayern Munich man. Senegal kick off their World Cup campaign against The Netherlands on Monday before further games against Qatar and Ecuador.
Pulse
