After sacking their coach following their World Cup exit, Senegal’s football team revealed its team doctor doesn’t have the proper qualifications.
Senegal Football Federation president Abdoulaye Fall confirmed at a press conference that Dr. Abderahmane Fédior, who had served as the national team's official physician for approximately 10 years, is trained as a gynecologist and obstetrician rather than a sports medicine specialist. "Our team doctor doesn't have the academic background to support our athletes. This is something I discovered rather late, because Dr. Fédior is a gynecologist by training," Fall said.
Fall took the blame for the oversight, saying Fédior lacked the qualifications to manage athlete care, medical preparation, and follow-up at the international level and allege several players were not confident receiving treatment from Fédior given the mismatch between his training and the demands of elite football, according to Reuters. The federation responded by adding sports physician Dr. Jean-Marc Sène to the medical staff.
The Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine refuted the claims, calling them “unfounded and defamatory.” The organization said Fédior, in addition to gynecology, holds a specialist diploma in sports medicine from Cheikh Anta Diop University.
The doctor situation is one piece of a wider picture of administrative dysfunction inside the FSF during the 2026 World Cup. Bonuses owed to players from AFCON 2025 and World Cup qualification had gone unpaid for months despite the federation holding prize money. Head coach Pape Thiaw went five months without salary and operated without a valid contract, though he described the matter as "finally resolved" at his own press conference. "It was never about money, it was a matter of principle and respect," Thiaw told ESPN. Reports also surfaced that some FSF officials brought family members and personal entourages to the United States at the federation's expense.
Amid the off-field turbulence, reserve goalkeeper Mory Diaw struck a unifying note, saying: "No controversy or off-field issue will distract us from our shared objective."
The Lions had arrived at the tournament with serious credentials, having claimed AFCON 2025 and recorded a 3-0 away victory over England in qualifying. But Senegal opened the World Cup with a 3-1 loss to France at MetLife Stadium on June 16 and were eventually eliminated in the round of 32 by Belgium. The FSF dismissed Thiaw and his technical staff following that exit.
