Senegal's football federation president, Abdoulaye Fall, has sparked controversy by claiming the national team's doctor at the recent World Cup was 'trained as a gynaecologist', leading to player concerns and a swift rebuttal from the Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine.
Key Points
- Senegal's football federation president, Abdoulaye Fall, stated the team doctor at the World Cup was 'trained as a gynaecologist', causing player concern.
- The federation sought additional medical expertise to reassure the squad during the tournament.
- The Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine has vehemently denied these claims, asserting the doctor holds a specialist diploma in sports medicine.
- Dr. Abderahmane Fediore has served as Senegal's team doctor since 2017, including at multiple World Cups and Africa Cup of Nations.
- Senegal's coach, Pape Bouna Thiaw, was sacked following the team's disappointing World Cup performance, where they failed to advance past the last 32.
Senegal's team doctor lacked the specialist background needed to support the squad during the World Cup in North America, the president of the country's football federation said on Monday, as the governing body took stock of a disappointing campaign.
The team doctor was "trained as a gynaecologist" and the issue was discovered late and had raised concern among players about the level of medical support available, federation chief Abdoulaye Fall told a press conference. "Based on the feedback I received, the players were not sufficiently reassured about being supported by him," Fall said. The federation sought additional medical expertise to reassure the squad, he added. "We had to find convincing expertise so they could feel reassured, because health comes before everything," said Fall.
Allegations Rejected by Sports Medicine Association
The Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine rejected the allegations as "unfounded and defamatory" in a statement issued late on Monday. It said the team doctor, Abderahmane Fediore, holds a specialist diploma in sports medicine and sports biology from Cheikh Anta Diop University's faculty of medicine. He previously led the physiotherapy department at Fann Hospital and has worked as Senegal's team doctor since 2017 including at three World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations.
Coaching Change Follows Disappointing Campaign
Senegal fired coach Pape Bouna Thiaw on Saturday, saying their results at the World Cup necessitated a change. Senegal had hoped to be contenders at the World Cup, after beating Morocco in January’s Africa Cup of Nations final, but had a disappointing tournament. They lost their opening two group games to France and Norway and let slip a 2-0 lead with five minutes remaining against Belgium in the last 32 before going down 3-2 in extra time.
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Source: Rediff.com
