A controversy has erupted within Senegalese football after the country’s football federation president, Abdoulaye Fall, claimed the national team’s doctor was “trained as a gynaecologist”, prompting a sharp rebuttal from the Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine.
Reviewing Senegal’s FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign at a press conference, Fall said players had expressed concerns over the medical support available during the tournament, forcing the federation to reinforce its medical staff.
“Based on the feedback I received, the players were not sufficiently reassured about being supported by him,” Fall said, according to reports.
He added that the federation brought in additional medical expertise to restore the players’ confidence.
“We had to find convincing expertise so they could feel reassured, because health comes before everything,” he said.
The remarks were swiftly rejected by the Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine, which described the allegations as “unfounded and defamatory.”
In a statement, the association said national team doctor Abderahmane Fediore possesses a specialist diploma in sports medicine and sports biology from the Faculty of Medicine at Cheikh Anta Diop University.
It further noted that Fediore previously headed the physiotherapy department at Fann Hospital and has served as Senegal’s national team doctor since 2017, working at three FIFA World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
The dispute comes amid wider turmoil in Senegalese football following the dismissal of head coach Pape Bouna Thiaw after the team’s disappointing World Cup campaign.
Despite entering the tournament as one of Africa’s strongest sides after an unbeaten World Cup qualifying campaign and their Africa Cup of Nations triumph, Senegal failed to progress beyond the Round of 32. The Lions of Teranga lost their opening two group-stage matches to France and Norway before defeating Iraq 5-0 to qualify for the knockout stage, where they suffered a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Belgium.
Thiaw, who represented Senegal during their historic run to the 2002 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, was relieved of his duties last week. The Senegal Football Federation has yet to announce his successor as preparations begin for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup 2030.
