FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura who is from Senegal, has stated that they will turn to witch doctors in an effort to get Sadio Mane to the World Cup in Qatar as quickly as possible.
Fatma Samoura stated that the nation will make every effort to ensure that he is present, admitting they are not even sure if the unconventional method will work but that they are hoping for “miracles.”
“We are going to use witch doctors, I don’t know (if they’re effective) but in this instance, we’re going to use them anyway. We are hoping for miracles. He has to be there!” she told Europe 1.
Despite hobbling out of Bayern Munich’s 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen this week, which prompted rumors that he would be disqualified from the competition, a source told AFP that the former Liverpool player will be included.
“One thing is certain, Sadio Mane will be on the list tomorrow,” the source said, with coach Aliou Cisse set to announce his squad on Friday.
Mane, who came in second place behind Karim Benzema in the Ballon d’Or voting this year, was hauled off the field after only 20 minutes on Tuesday, raising questions about his readiness for Qatar less than two weeks before the World Cup kicks off.
His right fibula had been injured, according to the diagnosis. He would go through more testing, according to Bayern, in the upcoming days.
Bayern Munich assistant coach, Dino Toppmoeller, played down Sadio Mane’s injury as ‘nerve pain’ and claimed he should be fit in time for the World Cup.
He said the problem is not ‘too serious’, but the club’s boss Julian Nagelsmann admitted they will know more after a scan.
The German club, however, confirmed the Senegal International will miss their match at the weekend, as a result of an injury that saw Mane hobbling off the pitch just 20 minutes into their last game.
The Bundesliga clash at home to Werder Bremen on Tuesday night, resulted in a huge 6-1 victory over their opponent.
This could end Mane’s chances of playing at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The news is a potential blow for Senegal and another disappointment for Qatar 2022, which appears set to lose another of its big-name players.
Reports from French outlet L’Equipe claimed it’s not good news, with a report on Wednesday morning saying his World Cup dream is over.
Mane booked his nation’s place in Qatar by firing in the decisive penalty in their victory over Egypt – and then-Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah – in the World Cup play-offs.
Senegal are due to begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on November 21. They also face Ecuador and host nation Qatar in Group A.