Senegal head coach Aliou Cissé might not be sidelined for the round of 16 match against England due to illness.
The 46-year-old did not show up for the news conference on Saturday and was also unable to train a day earlier.
Assistant coach takes charge of training and media
Assistant coach Regis Bogaert, who took over media duties, said: “He (Cisse) has been sick for a couple of days. Yesterday he let us take charge of the training, obviously with his instructions we managed to reach the players.
Hopefully tomorrow I can come and be on the bench with the players. sure at 10 pm [7pm GMT] tomorrow he will be there with the team”
Asked if Senegal could repeat their World Cup exploits in 2002, where they stunned France in their first group match, Bogaert said: “I don’t know how big it would be. I’m sure it’s almost as important.
For the players, the goal is to show what we can do against one of the top five teams in the world. I think they are No. 4, but if we can beat a team like that, that sends a very strong message of the progress we’ve made.”
Earlier, it was reported that Senegal had been fined £8,700 for failing to comply with FIFA’s pre-match regulations.
A player is obliged to face the media alongside the coach, however, on the eve of the decisive tie against Ecuador, only Cissé arrived to face the media.
Senegal aiming to alter the odds
Senegal qualified for the round of 16 after beating Ecuador 2-1 in their last group match. The AFCON winners will try to upset the odds by taking on an English side that has been mediocre and far from their best.
Despite the absence of Sadio Mane in the African team, the Senegalese have played with enthusiasm and will now try to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, for the first time since 2002.
Captain Kalidou Koulibaly remains the team’s central figure, the Chelsea defender who scored the winner against Ecuador.
After his match-winning performance, the 31-year-old said: “Two-thirds of the world probably thought we wouldn’t go through after Sadio’s injury. But we are a family, a well-oiled team.
There is a dream of going beyond the quarterfinals. We continue to believe, we want to tell the story of Senegalese football”.
Photo credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
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