Mbaye draws City interest as Senegal seek a path forward
The season is over and Senegal are in a strange place. The World Cup round-of-32 exit to Belgium stung, but what followed hurt more.
Pape Thiaw resigned. The dressing room fractured under the weight of off-field revelations, a team doctor who turned out to be a gynaecologist for the past decade, and a cook sent home early over alleged sexual harassment of a US-hired staff member. Federation president Abdoulaye Fall lit the fuse by going public with grievances, and Kalidou Koulibaly had to step in and appeal for calm on social media.
The federation's vetting and governance are now under the microscope. Patrick Vieira's name has been floated as a possible replacement for Thiaw, though nothing is confirmed.
The rebuild starts now. Nobody knows what shape it will take.
Fan reactions
Mbaye to City? The name that has Senegal fans talking this morning is Ibrahim Mbaye. Santi Aouna reports Manchester City are targeting the 2008-born forward, widely seen as one of Europe's brightest young talents (1). The thread on r/soccer is split between excitement and the usual "please don't ruin him" energy, but nobody is questioning the kid's ceiling.