The Senegalese secretary general of FIFA, Fatma Samoura has stated that Senegal will turn to witch doctors in an effort to get Sadio Mane to the World Cup in Qatar as quickly as possible.
Despite sustaining a leg injury this week, Mane is now expected to be included in Senegal’s World Cup team, a source within the national football federation told AFP on Thursday. Mane was initially predicted to miss the tournament.
Fatma Samoura has now 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.
Mane “remains calm, he’s professional, and he realizes that injury is part of the job,” the insider claimed.
He will not play in Bayern’s last match before the World Cup on Saturday against Schalke.
