Mane was initially in Senegal’s 26-man squad for the World Cup, but his participation was thrown into question after he was injured in Bayern Munich’s penultimate league game just before the tournament was due to start.
The former Liverpool player left midway through the first half in Bayern Munich’s 6-1 win over Werder Bremen. After the match, rumors arose that Mane would miss over a month, which would rule him out of the World Cup.
However, Senegal coach Aliou Cissé included his talisman in the 26-man squad before confirming he would miss the first game.
However, the Senegalese Football Federation has now ruled out the African player of the year from the Qatar 2022 World Cup. In a video shared on the Federation’s Twitter page, the SFF revealed that Mane will not recover in time for the World Cup and has been ruled out of the competition as a result.
Mane’s absence is a blow to Senegal as he is their star player. The 30-year-old scored the winning penalty that gave Senegal their first Africa Cup of Nations title and the penalty that sent them to the World Cup.
Whether Cissé will call up a replacement for the Bayern Munich man remains to be seen. Senegal kicks off their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Monday before other games against Qatar and Ecuador.
