CAN 2022: Senegal wins its standoff against Watford over Ismaïla Sarr
Senegalese winger Ismaïla Sarr during the CAN 2019 final against Algeria, July 19.
AFP - JAVIER SORIANO
Text by: Tom Rossi Follow
2 min
Ismaïla Sarr, injured in the knee, was finally released by his English club Watford so that the Senegalese Football Federation could assess his injury in the hope of making him take part in the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon (January 9 -February 6).
The Lions winger will arrive in Dakar this Tuesday evening after several days of showdown between the FSF and the Hornets.
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Ismaïla Sarr will join the Lions' lair this Tuesday, January 4, in Dakar, announced the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF).
A time blocked by his 17th Premier League club
, the 23-year-old winger, summoned by his coach Aliou Cissé, will be examined by FSF doctors to assess his period of unavailability caused by his knee injury.
He could continue his rehabilitation with
the Senegalese group
in Bafoussam where the vice-champions of Africa will face Zimbabwe, Guinea and Malawi at the
CAN
.
Injured but eventually released
One thing is certain, Ismaïla Sarr is forfeited for these first three meetings. And it is precisely because of this injury that Watford did not want to release him. The club in the suburbs of London also announced that Ismaïla Sarr was positive for Covid-19 and that the Senegalese Football Federation "
had not sent the summons on time,
" said FSF president Augustin Senghor to RFI. "
All this was not serious
" added the leader, after qualifying these arguments as "
specious
" and "
fallacious
" via
press
release on Sunday.
The Senegalese Federation, in its right, had threatened to seize FIFA "in
case of persistence by Watford in his deliberate refusal to release the player for the benefit of his national team
".
Faced with Senegal's intransigence, the Hornets have therefore folded and may have to do without one of their best players when he is restored at the end of January.
Since Ismaïla Sarr's injury contracted in the victory against Manchester United on November 20, Watford has had six defeats and is sinking in the standings.
►Also read: CAN 2022: a spectator gauge fixed in the stadiums due to the Covid-19
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