From alcoholic beverages to selling "FIFA" tickets.. scandals shaking Senegalese football.
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Sport
From alcoholic beverages to selling "FIFA" tickets.. scandals shaking Senegalese football.
Hesspress Sports·
The exit of the Senegalese national team from the 2026 World Cup in the round of thirty-two after losing to Belgium by three goals to two was not just a disappointing end to the journey of one of the most controversial African teams, but it revealed, according to a lengthy report published by Sport News Africa, a deep crisis within the Senegalese Football Federation, extending from administrative and financial disputes to the management of the team during the tournament, culminating in scandals related to the resale of tickets allocated by FIFA, in a case likely to spark widespread controversy within sports circles in Senegal.
The report indicates that the Senegalese team entered the finals with high ambitions, relying on a generation of players who have accumulated extensive experience in European leagues, and the coaching staff believed that the team was capable of going far in the competition.
After losing to France by three goals to one in the opening match, there was a belief within the camp that the result did not reflect the reality of the performance, as the players and coaching staff considered that the team had delivered a good first half and received praise from several observers. Therefore, there was great confidence in the possibility of overcoming Norway in the second match if the team maintained the same level throughout the game.
However, that confidence quickly faded after a second loss to Norway by three goals to two, a result that put the team in a difficult position and sparked widespread criticism aimed at coach Bab Tiao, both for his tactical choices and his management of the match, especially regarding the participation of captain Kalidou Koulibaly, whom many held partly responsible for the three goals, in addition to the substitutions he made. This criticism seemed contradictory to the praise the coach had received after leading the team during the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, the report considers that reading the results from a purely technical perspective hides an important aspect of the picture, as it confirms that Bab Tiao entered the World Cup working without a formal contract since February 2026, and had not received his salary for five months, a situation that continued even while the team was in the United States.
Despite the Senegalese Football Federation announcing that the issue was resolved before the match against Norway, the report confirms that the contract was only signed a few hours before the match began, after lengthy negotiations that witnessed repeated disputes between the two parties.
According to the same source, federation officials, led by Secretary-General Abdoulaye Sow, attempted to postpone the signing of the contract until after the Norway match, so that the future of the coach could be determined based on the result of the game, which led Bab Tiao's representatives to threaten that he would not sit on the bench if his legal and financial situation was not resolved.
The report quotes someone who was inside the camp saying that the coach was preparing to pack his bags just six hours before the match, adding that preparing for a match of this magnitude under such circumstances was extremely difficult, as the relationship between the coaching staff and federation officials had reached a stage of distrust.
The report adds that the dispute did not stop there, as a clause added to the contract by the federation delayed the signing again, before an urgent agreement was reached just five hours before the match began, in the presence of the federation's Secretary-General, the coach's representatives, and an advisor to the President, which the report considered evidence of the level of confusion that accompanied the management of the team during the finals.
The beginning of the crisis, according to the report, dates back to before traveling to the United States, when Bab Tiao refused to accompany the team until his contractual situation was resolved and his financial dues were paid, while his representatives threatened not to allow him to travel, while some federation officials responded that the team would leave even in the absence of the coach, starting communications with French coach Hervé Renard as a potential replacement.
The report confirms that Renard's name was not mentioned merely as a pressure tactic, but that the Senegalese federation had indeed opened communication channels with him, and Tunisian officials confirmed that the French coach intended to end his mission with the Tunisian national team after the World Cup, with Senegal being one of the proposed destinations for him, which increased Bab Tiao's feeling that his position was threatened before the tournament began.
The report also reveals that the coach and those close to him considered holding a press conference in Dakar to explain the details of what was happening within the federation, but a call from the President led him to abandon that step, after being assured that the presidency would handle the issue, which paved the way for him to travel with the team, despite the ongoing atmosphere of tension.
After the first reports addressing the conditions of the team's stay, the quality of nutrition, the coach's situation, and the management of the delegation, the Senegalese presidency expressed its dissatisfaction with the situation and sent a presidential advisor to the United States in an attempt to restore discipline and improve living and working conditions, although the report considers that the intervention came after the crisis had already cast a shadow over the atmosphere within the camp.
The irregularities, according to the report, are not limited to the relationship between the coach and the federation, as it discusses sharp divisions within the executive office of the Senegalese Football Federation, which reached a point in some meetings where members exchanged insults, before the results of the Africa Cup of Nations imposed a temporary truce that did not last long, as disputes returned with discussions about the bonuses file.
In this atmosphere, the federation president Abdoulaye Fall, according to the report, was unable to impose his authority within the institution, while Secretary-General Abdoulaye Sow continued to manage daily files amid an open dispute with the coach.
The report also touches on the lifestyle of some federation officials during the tournament, mentioning the organization of private parties and hosting guests, including content creators and several young women, which raised the eyebrows of members of the coaching staff and players.
It also points to the inflated size of the official delegation with the presence of relatives and friends of some officials, without clarifying who covered their expenses, while quoting one of the officials as saying that the state allocated a significant budget for the team's participation in the World Cup, and that some individuals exploited those resources for personal advantages.
The report adds that the first days of the delegation's stay in the United States witnessed significant spending that included hosting parties, giving gifts, and consuming expensive alcoholic beverages, which led hotel staff to file complaints about the behavior of some delegation members, while some players took advantage of the lack of oversight to order fast food and leave the hotel at different times, which the report considered an additional indicator of weak discipline within the camp.
Among the most serious issues raised in the report is the discussion of the resale of tickets allocated by FIFA to the Senegalese federation, as published information indicated that tickets with an official price of about $60 were resold for nearly $350 through channels described as non-transparent, while the report could not determine whether the proceeds went into the federation's treasury or to individuals close to some officials, noting that these practices had previously been raised during the 2022 World Cup, when reports spoke of the resale of tickets that were even allocated to players' families.
The report concludes by indicating that the Senegalese presidency has begun preparing a comprehensive report to evaluate the team's participation in the World Cup, both from a sporting and administrative perspective, with plans to listen to members of the Senegalese Football Federation, in addition to coach Bab Tiao, upon their return to the country.
