Senegal’s Sadio Mane in action. AFP
Reigning African player of the year and Ballon d’Or runner-up Sadio Mane has been included in Aliou Cisse’s final 26-man list heading to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The Senegal captain and Bayern Munich striker picked up an injury to the head of his right fibula during a Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen on Tuesday.
Senegal held its breath, waiting for news of their biggest export since perhaps El Hadji Diouf. Reports were rife on Thursday that Mane would be picked, which Cisse confirmed yesterday as he announced the list. The 46-year-old coach said Mane would be managed similarly to Ismaila Sarr at this year’s AFCON, which Senegal won.
“I preferred to keep Sadio in the group because it’s a situation we have already known to a lesser degree with Ismaila Sarr at the AFCON; we managed it well,” Cisse said after announcing his World Cup-bound squad yesterday.
“Sadio is a special player in our squad, so it is important to monitor his injury. We are really optimistic. I have time to make a change before our first match, but we’re optimistic and will do everything we can to get him back,” he added.
Cisse added that the national team had sent a doctor to see the player during a series of tests in Munich and Austria.
“Sadio’s injury will affect him for a week to 10 days, and then we’ll have a control MRI. The good news today is that there is no surgery. That’s very good news,” Cisse stressed.
Mane is Senegal’s leading scorer in international football, with 34 goals from 93 appearances. The former Liverpool striker is the quintessential professional, constantly being praised for his humility, dedication, and philanthropy. Uncertainty over his fitness had prompted reactions from every part of Senegal, even the country’s president. The head of the Senegal football federation had stated on Wednesday that he was “worried” likening Mane’s absence to Benzema missing for France.
“Sadio, I wish you a speedy recover,” Sall tweeted on Wednesday. “Sadio, heart of a Lion! All my heart is with you!” he added.
Meanwhile, the reigning African champions have also called up some reliable heads as they hope to emulate and perhaps do one better than their 2002 predecessors, who got to the competition’s quarter-finals, defeating defending champion France and Sweden on their way. Current coach Cisse was captain of that famed side.
Chelsea duo Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy, Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye, Watford’s Ismailia Sarr, Nottingham Forest’s Cheikhou Kouyate, and Leicester City’s Nampalys Mendy all made the cut. Cisse did not pick left-back Saliou Ciss, who is currently without a club, banking on Fode Ballo-Toure, who has played just three games for AC Milan this season or Monaco’s Ismail Jakobs.
“I’ve been here for seven years, and sometimes I have to make difficult decisions. The Saliou Ciss case is one of them. The national team of Senegal has reached a certain level which means that we must be very attentive to the selection criteria,” Cisse said of the omission.
He added that it would have been difficult to justify selecting a player who does not have a club.
“I know that his situation is difficult, but from the start, we have been with him. I have no doubt that he will return when his situation is resolved,” Cisse said.
The Lions of Teranga will make their third World Cup appearance in Qatar. They will face the Netherlands in their Group A opener, followed by host Qatar and South Americans Ecuador.
In Russia 2018, Senegal exited at the group stage after missing three consecutive World Cups since its 2002 debut. This is the first time the West Africans have qualified for a consecutive World Cup.
