2026 World Cup: FSF debts, the other hot issue

The elimination of the Lions in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup continues to make headlines in Senegal, and especially to loosen tongues. The numerous failures during the competition are being blamed, particularly the management by the federation's leaders, as revealed by Sport News Africa.

While the Senegalese press is now revealing several dysfunctions and internal tensions that arose during the preparation and the tournament, financial issues also disrupted the team. The latter had to travel to the United States very early to play two friendly matches against the USA (lost 3-2) and against Saudi Arabia (0-0).

100 million in debt to SOGIP

While the team initially gathered in Dakar, Pape Thiaw's men flew to the United States on May 27 after receiving the national flag from the country's head of state. But their preparation in the country suffered serious setbacks. The Lions were in fact unable to train on the facilities managed by the Société de Gestion des Infrastructures Publiques des pôles urbains de Diamniadio (SOGIP). The company refused the team access to the facilities because of numerous unpaid debts from the Fédération sénégalaise de football (FSF). According to information from Sport News Africa, the FSF owed the sum of 100 million CFA francs (about 152,450 euros) to the organization.

This situation is reminiscent of October 2025, when the director general of SOGIP, Dame Mbodj, stated that the match between Senegal and Mauritania, as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, would not be held at Stade Abdoulaye Wade because of the FSF's debts. A solution was finally found in an emergency in the name of “the higher interest of Senegalese football” and “the enhancement of public infrastructure.”

The BIP members waiting for their bonuses... and sidelined

Faced with the refusal of access to the facilities in Dakar, several journalists who were following the team on site reported that the Lions did not train. However, this information was quickly denied during a live broadcast by Elimane Lam, vice-president of the FSF. The federation is increasingly criticized by organizations to which it is accumulating debts. Even the BIP (Brigade d'Intervention Polyvalente), Senegal's elite police unit, is not spared. Responsible for ensuring the team's security during trips for years, it was still present at the CAN 2025.

There was even supposed to be a bonus of 20 million CFA francs (about 30,500 euros) for each security member present in Morocco. According to information gathered by Sport News Africa, these bonuses have still not been received by the BIP members to date. Moreover, there were only two present for this World Cup campaign in the United States, as the federation has now chosen to hire a private security company based in France, which initially took care of some players and whose integration was facilitated by them.

While Senegalese football had so far managed its status as an African powerhouse with relative calm, this great wave of revelations is undermining the FSF leadership, which has other outstanding debts with partners. The situation is known to State services. Between financial opacity and broken trust with republican institutions, the time has come for reckoning. It remains to be seen whether the Ministry of Sports will require a thorough audit to fully clarify this matter.