Football's governing body FIFA have punished Senegal with an £8,700 fine for breaking World Cup rules ahead of their clash with England in the round of 16. A 2-1 win over Ecuador on Tuesday saw them seal qualification through their group as Ismaila Sarr and Kalidou Koulibaly scored either side of Moises Caicedo's equaliser.
There was jubilation from the African nation as they booked their date with the Three Lions, looking to follow up their African Cup of Nations success up with a long run in the World Cup. However, while the punishment they've received has come before the clash, it was actually for actions from before their group decider with Ecuador.
Manager Aliou Cisse attended the routine press conference on his own and without one of his players alongside him to take questions for the game. FIFA rules state that the head coach of a nation must host a press conference the day before a match and with one player from their squad.
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A FIFA statement confirmed the decision, reading: "The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the Senegalese Football Federation with a fine in the amount of CHF 10,000 and a warning for breaches of article 44 of the Regulations for the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022™, article 2.7.2 of the Media and Marketing Regulations and article 8.5.3 of the Team Handbook. The potential breaches relate to the mandatory press conference that took place on 28 November ahead of the Ecuador v. Senegal Fifa World Cup™ match.”
They aren't the only nation to face such actions though as Germany also decided against putting a player up for questioning. The decision was directly discussed by head coach Hansi Flick before their clash against Spain, blaming their long trip to the media centre as the reason, given their base was setup in the north of Qatar.
"It’s so important that they devote their energy to training," Flick said in relation to none of his players joining him for the conference. “I came alone because we didn’t want a player to spend three hours on the road to come." Germany were also punished with a fine of £8,700.
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