“You have destroyed the team!”: logistical chaos, failures, clashes and list secrets… Behind the scenes of Senegal at the World Cup

When announcing his squad, Pape Thiaw surprised everyone by naming not 26 but 28 players. The coach explained during his press conference that he had included two reserves in his squad and had already informed them of their roles. Although many theories circulated about the true identity of these two reserves from the official squad announcement until the Lions’ elimination, an official document seen by Sport News Africa regarding the players selected for the World Cup confirms that Ilay Camara and Bara Sapoko Ndiaye were indeed the two reserves added to the group.

Malang Sarr as a reserve

In total, the overall list included 26 players and 9 reserves, who were: Pape Mamadou Sy (Metz), Ilay Camara (Anderlecht), Lamine Sy (Auxerre), Malang Sarr (Lens), Bara Sapoko Ndiaye (Bayern Munich), Mamadou Diakhon (Club Brugge), Cheikh Tidiane Sabaly (Vancouver), Habib Diallo (Metz), and Boulaye Dia (Lazio).

This confirms that Malang Sarr was in fact on the staff’s radar. After a successful Ligue 1 season with Lens, a first call-up was highly anticipated. But as revealed several weeks ago by Dsports, there was interference from team leaders to block his arrival, for sporting reasons but also because of some of his past media statements.

The match against the USA dooms Moustapha Mbow

Having been advised of their roles, Ilay Camara and Bara Sapoko were supposed to support the team during the preparations and gain valuable experience alongside the veterans. But things shifted after the first training sessions, especially after the first warmup match against the United States. On the pitch, Senegal lost 3-2, but beyond the score, it was the overall performance that worried the staff, particularly some individual failures that spotlighted players lacking match fitness or completely void of confidence.

The most striking example was Moustapha Mbow. Despite a strong season with Paris FC, the defender had a poor outing, being at fault for the second American goal, having nearly caused the third before it was finally disallowed for offside, and generally showing nervousness with ball losses that were alarming.

After the match, the technical staff began to doubt “Mbow’s mental collapse,” his emotional management, and his ability to handle make-or-break games, while the young Bayern midfielder distinguished himself, showing great character.

A conversation took place with Pape Thiaw, who informed Mbow that he would not participate in the World Cup. The following day, the final list was sent to FIFA with Bara Sapoko Ndiaye taking his place. It was a strong decision from the coach, but not one that sat well with everyone, as some players close to Mbow saw him forced to give up his World Cup dream after he was initially named among the 26. “With players, it can quickly become complicated when you go back on your word,” confided a group insider.

The Chérif Ndiaye situation

Another reserve left behind, Ilay Camara, also had the possibility of joining the 26, at the expense of Chérif Ndiaye. On this point, there is a gray area, with two strongly opposing versions.

The first emerged before the end of the group stage, claiming that after the USA friendly, Pape Thiaw chose to replace the Samsunspor player and Mbow with Bara Sapoko Ndiaye and Ilay Camara, who impressed in training. Upon learning this, the striker reportedly caused an uproar, prompting an emergency meeting with team leaders and the coach. After the meeting, he was allegedly reinstated.

The second version categorically denies this account, stating that the only change was Mbow’s, and that the Chérif situation was merely an attempt to destabilize the group. “There was never a meeting with the leaders to reinstate Chérif because there was never any question of bringing Ilay Camara in his place,” a staff member said. Ultimately, Chérif Ndiaye did not play a single minute in the campaign.

Players dealing with injuries, poor form, and lack of rhythm and confidence

In the end, these preparations that were supposed to help the Lions progress and build confidence did not have the desired effect. Quite the opposite, in fact. This was mostly due to the highly uneven form within the group, with many players far from their best ahead of the 2025 AFCON. Pape Thiaw and his staff quickly took note. It felt as if some players were not truly aware of their real physical state, or else did everything they could to take part in the World Cup even though they knew they weren’t at their best.

After the defeat to France, captain Kalidou Koulibaly himself publicly admitted that several players, including himself, Idrissa Gana Gueye, and Pape Gueye, were suffering from a lack of form and accumulated fatigue from the season. This was a telling admission.

“Many came believing they could play a role at this World Cup, but preparation showed that their physical levels did not match their expectations,” continued an internal source.

Several players also struggled to understand the coach’s decision to persist with Kalidou Koulibaly despite his limits on display in training, as he was often outpaced or retreated too much so as not to be beaten for pace.

While the injuries to the defender and Idrissa Gana Gueye were well known, others failed to meet expectations even though they had a chance to shine. Top of the list was Assane Diao. Despite returning to competition with his club Como, the winger had lost his explosiveness and acceleration—his key strengths—during training.

Supposedly able to replace Koulibaly as he did in the semi-final and final of AFCON, Mamadou Sarr suffered from a dip in form and a loss of confidence after returning to Chelsea in the second half of the season. However, he always maintained impeccable behavior in the group. Suffering from a shoulder injury for some time, Pape Matar moved through this World Cup like a ghost, a far cry from the player who carried the team in Kinshasa by scoring the winning 3-2 goal and putting Senegal back atop its qualification group.

So many young players who could have replaced senior members but ended up languishing on the bench. To this, add some whose attitude was sometimes described as lackadaisical, others who were withdrawn upon learning they wouldn’t start, notably Nicolas Jackson, whose visible frustration surprised his teammates given his performances.

Logistical failures for food arrangements

As revealed by Sport News Africa following the opening defeat to France (3-1), numerous dysfunctions affected the team in the United States, starting with problems with food. The chef accompanying the Lions, who was hastily removed following an accusation of sexual assault on a kitchen assistant (which he denies, ed.), spoke about the organization.

“Nothing was ready despite two months of preparation. All the products were supposed to be available for Senegal. Unfortunately, there was nothing (…) I told Maya Fall (appointed by FIFA to coordinate catering logistics for the Senegalese delegation): ‘You sabotaged catering in San Antonio, but I won’t tolerate that here,'” he told L’Observateur.

The tensions reportedly continued during the delegation’s trip to New Jersey. According to the chef, repeated shortages of requested products forced him to call upon leaders of the Senegalese Football Federation to unblock the situation and buy the necessary products for his kitchen directly, in particular halal foods.

Ismaïla Sarr and Pathé Ciss forced to manage their own visa applications

And while food failures were noted (the hotel offered very fatty and oily food unsuited to an elite athlete), the players’ actual arrivals were no easier. While the delegation left Dakar at the end of May for the US, several players were missing. First among them: Ismaïla Sarr and Pathé Ciss.

Still in contention in the Europa Conference League final on May 27 with their clubs Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano, the two only joined the national team on June 6. This was after the arrivals of Ibrahim Mbaye, who saw PSG play the Champions League final a few days later, as well as Yehvan Diouf and Antoine Mendy, who played in Ligue 1 relegation playoffs with Nice…

According to Sport News Africa, Sarr and Ciss were delayed by visa problems, as their applications were not made by team officials. Arriving first in Dakar, they had to apply for US and Canadian visas themselves. But as the process dragged on, a solution was found through the Senegalese consulate in Paris. They then traveled to France to apply and receive the necessary documents before rejoining the team as it prepared for the second warmup match against Saudi Arabia.

Pape Gueye puts the FSF under pressure… the clash erupts

A visa problem also arose for the video analyst called in before the match against Norway. When he arrived, he couldn’t follow the team to Canada for the last group match against Iraq. According to information gathered by Sport News Africa, all his documents were in order except that the Senegalese Football Federation had not applied for the required visa… which never happened. “He arrived and was left to fend for himself when he could have been in Toronto,” said a delegation member. “But being conscientious, he did the job remotely.“

So many shortfalls, dysfunctions, or oversights in the organization had an impact on the work of Pape Thiaw’s staff, but above all on the day-to-day life of the players who built up frustration, while at the same time witnessing certain officials visibly enjoying the trip.

In this context, Pape Gueye kept confronting federation leaders, holding them to account and highlighting their organizational shortcomings regarding the environment and preparations. This ended up leading to two altercations with FSF officials. One was with Bamba Ba, head of organization at the FSF, who nevertheless denied this incident. The other was with secretary-general Abdoulaye Sow. The second altercation was more heated, with hostile exchanges that can’t be transcribed due to their nature. It almost escalated into a physical confrontation before the two men were separated. The Villarreal midfielder then exclaimed, “You destroyed the team, you are not up to the task!“

A toxic atmosphere saw key players silently support their young teammate, though not daring to confront leadership directly, something that didn’t sit well with younger squad members, whose frustration grew as the tournament progressed. This once-united group, who had reserved a table for thirty after their match at the Stade de France against Peru a few months earlier, gradually splintered, breaking into small cliques that weren’t at open war, but no longer really speaking to each other. A host of small details, from the old guard’s supposed influence over Pape Thiaw to the federation’s chaotic organization, ultimately pushed the Lions far from a World Cup they’ll want to forget.

Romain MOLINA and Mansour LOUM