Sports
FIFA ‘Make Decision’ on Banning Senegal After AFCON Chaos
FIFA are reported to have reached a final verdict on whether they will ban a huge nation from the 2026 World Cup. The same country appear on Donald Trump’s travel ban list and have faced calls to be suspended due to recent controversy.
The President of the United States has suspended visa applications from 75 countries in total, with many of those being countries already qualified for the biggest international tournament.
This year’s edition of the historic competition will be hosted by the United States of America, Canada and Mexico and will feature a record 48 teams. That idea has been thrown into doubt several times already, with countries considering boycotting due to Trump’s controversial actions.
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FIFA’s Stance on Senegal Being Banned From World Cup
One nation who have faced calls for major punishment, including a World Cup ban, are Africa Cup of Nations winners Senegal. The controversial AFCON final saw the players walk off after a widely-debated penalty decision. This led to huge backlash.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) were quick to point out that they didn’t condone the actions of the entire Senegal team, minus Sadio Mane. A statement from officials claimed the organisation ‘condemns the unacceptable behaviour from some players and officials’.
It was then announced that footage was being reviewed and appropriate punishment would be carried out: “CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty.”
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Among those potential punishments is reported to be a substantial fine of between €50,000 and €100,000 (£43,000 to £86,000) as well as suspensions for individual players and manager Pape Thiaw.
According to French publication L’Equipe, CAF are close to reaching a verdict, but FIFA are said to be against the idea of banning the team from the World Cup this summer.
Moroccan Attorney Called For Senegal ‘Disqualification
A lengthy statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Moroccan attorney Adil Mouline claimed that among the severe punishments handed out to The Lions of Terangae should be a World Cup suspension. He wrote:
“In this context, the ONLY sanction that can fulfill the overarching goals of JUSTICE and DETERRENCE is the formal disqualification of the Senegal national team from the AFCON 2025 final, the nullification and extinguishment of any claim to the title or trophy arising from that match, and the suspension of the Senegal national team from the FIFA World Cup 2026.”
Despite this, world football’s governing body isn’t believed to be seriously considering a ban as an option.
