Watford deprives Ismaïla Sarr of the CAN, the Senegalese Federation is enraged

The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) on Saturday condemned the decision of the English club Watford to “block” its striker Ismaïla Sarr, currently injured, for the African Cup of Nations (CAN) which begins on January 9 in Cameroon. The club defended itself by justifying an injury to its winger.

The FSF “would like to express its deep condemnation of the disrespectful, pernicious and discriminatory behavior of the leaders at Watford who seek by all means to prevent a player from playing with his national team“, she wrote. The instance reacted to a letter dated December 31, 2021, sent by Londoners for”block the player Ismaïla Sarr who has expressed his desire to join the Senegalese selection“.

Watford plays the injury card

The Watford club responded to the accusations via a statement, explaining that the player is still in the process of recovering from a cruciate ligament injury dating back to last November. “In early December, the club wrote to the Senegalese Football Federation highlighting the clinical diagnosis of Ismaila’s injury and immediately followed up by providing the MRI documents explaining the extent of the injury, ” can we read in said press release. “The Hornets also called on the FSF to appoint its own independent surgeon to confirm the diagnosis and the rehabilitation period.“.

The thorny issue of the release of African internationals has been debated for several weeks, with European clubs highlighting their concerns about the pandemic to hold them back. The CAN (which ends on February 6) also takes place at the same time as the main championships, a scheduling conflict that does not suit anyone. Faced with the discontent of some teams, especially in England, FIFA agreed on December 26 to postpone the date of availability of African players for their selections, from December 27 to January 3.

Nigerian Emmanuel Dennis also blocked

Ismaïla Sarr (23), a veteran of FC Metz and Stade Rennes, has scored five Premier League goals this season before injuring her knee at the end of November. He hasn’t played since. His availability for the CAN remains uncertain, according to Watford, whose management of African internationals has also been controversial in Nigeria, about Emmanuel Dennis. The “Super Eagles” initially summoned the striker, before excusing him and replacing him, after his club “showed fangs“, as the Nigerian Federation wrote.

Senegal, finalist in 2019, is one of the favorites to win the CAN in February.