Senegal accuses Watford of preventing Sarr from participating in the African Cup

The Senegalese Football Association has accused Watford of "preventing" its striker Ismaila Sarr from participating in the African Nations Cup, which begins in Cameroon on the ninth of this month.

And the local federation confirmed in an official statement, "for its deep condemnation of the disrespectful, harmful and discriminatory behavior by Watford officials who seek at any cost to prevent a player from defending the colors of his country."

Watford responded with a statement denying Sarr was "prevented" from joining the national team, and said, "In early December, the club wrote to the Senegalese Football Association to inform it of the diagnosis of Ismaila's injury and immediately provided him with the results of an MRI showing the extent of the injury. After consulting with Medical experts, we have informed the federation of Ismaila's recovery process and the possible duration of his recovery."

"During the past ten days, the club has renewed the Senegalese Football Association, the current medical condition of the player and the timetable for his recovery," he added.

Sarr starred at Watford early this season, scoring 5 goals in 12 matches in the English Premier League, before injuring his knee last November, which led to his absence from the last matches of his team.

The Senegalese team is considered one of the most prominent candidates to compete strongly for the title, knowing that it was a runner-up for the Algerian team, the champion in the last edition of the continental championship in Egypt in 2019.

Watford was also criticized by the Nigerian Football Association in recent days for refusing to release striker Emmanuel Denis.

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