Senegal’s disappointing World Cup campaign…
Has now been followed by an unexpected controversy off the pitch.
The president of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), Abdoulaye Fall, revealed that the national team’s doctor was originally trained as a gynecologist, saying he « didn’t have the academic profile » the squad expected for a World Cup campaign.
──────────
According to Fall, the issue was discovered too late.
He said several players questioned whether they were receiving the level of medical expertise needed during the tournament, prompting the federation to seek additional specialists to reassure the squad.
──────────
However, the story doesn’t end there.
The Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine strongly rejected the criticism, describing it as « unfounded and defamatory. »
It stressed that Dr. Abderahmane Fediore has worked with the national team since 2017, has participated in three World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations, and also holds a specialist diploma in sports medicine and sports biology.
──────────
Being a gynecologist doesn’t automatically mean a doctor is unqualified for elite sport.
In fact, Dr. Fediore has publicly stated for years that, although he trained in gynecology, he later specialized in sports medicine and has spent much of his career working with athletes.
──────────
The controversy comes just days after Senegal’s disappointing World Cup campaign, which ended with the dismissal of head coach Pape Thiaw following the team’s elimination. The federation is now conducting a broader review of what went wrong, both on and off the field.
──────────
What began as a review of Senegal’s World Cup quickly turned into a debate over medical expertise. While federation officials questioned the team doctor’s profile, sports medicine specialists insist his qualifications and years of experience make him fully capable of working at the highest level.
