Members of the Senegal delegation to the World Cup are still stranded in Seattle awaiting a flight back home, five days after the team were eliminated by Belgium, sources within the camp have told ESPN.
While the players and members of the technical team finally boarded a flight home on Sunday morning — two days after originally planned — federation members and support staff are yet to have confirmation on when they will be allowed to leave the United States.
Senegal were defeated 3-2 by Belgium after extra time on Wednesday, despite having led 2-0 with four minutes remaining of the match.
Belgium staged an unlikely comeback with goals in the 86th and 89th minute through Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans to take the tie to extra time, before Tielemans struck an 124th-minute penalty winner to send the Red Devils through to a round-of-16 meeting with the United States in Seattle on Monday.
Sources within the Senegal delegation told ESPN that the original plan was for the travelling party to take a plane chartered by the government on Friday, although they were informed just as they were about to head to the airport that the plane had not arrived.
The delegation have not been told the official reasons why the chartered plane did not arrive as planned, although ESPN’s sources suspect that President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s cabinet reshuffle, which started in June, has left an administrative vacuum.
They also theorise that there was little anticipation back home that the team would be eliminated by Belgium in the round of 32, having dispatched Iraq 5-0 in their final group game to progress, and the government were unprepared to put in place travel arrangements. The Senegalese Football Federation ultimately found tickets on a commercial flight in order for the players to depart.
A statement issued by the Federation on Sunday stated that a special charter flight provided by the Ministry of Youth and Sports would land in Dakar on Tuesday morning at 9:15 a.m., although Flight Radar currently has no such flight listed on the airport’s arrivals board.
ESPN understand that not all non-playing officials have yet found passage out of the United States, with members of the delegation having to be moved to a three-star hotel after the accommodation where they were originally staying had no further spare rooms beyond the end of their reservation.
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One member of the delegation has spoken of feeling ‘abandoned’ by the country’s authorities, although they remain optimistic that routes back to Senegal may be found for them on Tuesday at the earliest.
The FSF statement concluded by expressing gratitude to the nation’s authorities, “who spared no effort in facilitating the procedures to ensure the delegation’s return as quickly as possible.”
This development is the latest twist in a troubled World Cup campaign for Senegal, who were defeated in their opening two matches and faced accusations of unprofessionalism within the camp, while head coach Pape Thiaw acknowledged ahead of the group game against Norway that he had only signed a new contract during the tournament having gone four months without having terms agreed.
