December 24, (THEWILL) – Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy have been called up to Senegal’s team for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Chiekhou Kouyate, Ismaila Sarr, and Nampalys Mendy of the Premier League have also been named in their team for the competition, which takes place in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6 next year.
There is an exception to Sarr’s inclusion as it does not imply that he will be available for the tournament’s start. Sarr is not set to be released until February.
Despite this, Aliou Cisse, the Senegalese manager, invited him noting that: “Ismaila Sarr may not join the team on Dec 27. He could continue his rehabilitation with Watford but his injury is progressing well and we hope to have him from the quarter-finals.”
Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye of Paris Saint-Germain, and Keita Balde were among the country’s top players included in the squad for the African football showpiece.
The English Premier League players who have been called up for the tournament are likely to miss up to three rounds of league matches, with the possibility of missing a fourth due to possible isolation concerns following the competition’s completion.
They would also be unavailable for the FA Cup’s third round of games.
The full squad list and the clubs that will miss their services include:
Goalkeepers:
Seny Dieng (QPR), Alfred Gomis (Torino), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Defenders:
Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Ibrahima Mbaye (Bologna), Bouna Sarr (Bayern Munich), Abdoulaye Seck (Antwerp), Fodé Ballo-Touré (AC Milan), Abdoulaye Diallo (Nottingham Forest), Pape Abou Saliou (Olympiacos), Saliou Ciss (Angers)
Midfielders:
Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester), Pape Matar Sarr (Metz), Moustapha Name (Paris FC), Ibrahima Ndiaye (Luzern), Pape Gueye (Marseille), Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham), Joseph Lopy (Sochaux)
Forwards:
Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Boulaye Dia (Villarreal), Ismaila Sarr (Rennes), Keita Balde (Cagliari), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor), Habib Diallo (Strasbourg), Bamba Dieng (Marseille), Mame Thiam (Kayserispor)
Senegal, which was the first African team to qualify for the playoffs of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, remains a contender for the AFCON trophy and is expected to go all the way to the final next year.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
