Hammer blow for Senegal as Mane ruled out of World Cup
DOHA: Senegal star Sadio Mane has lost his race to be fit for the 2022 World Cup and has been withdrawn from their squad, the country’s football federation announced on Thursday. His club Bayern Munich added later that the 30-year-old, who was voted second in the Ballon d’Or last month behind Karim Benzema, had undergone “successful surgery” in Innsbruck where “a tendon was reattached to the head of his right fibula.” Bayern said Mane “will begin his rehab in Munich in the next few days.” The absence of the talismanic Mane is a massive blow to the Senegalese. He scored the winning penalty in a shootout victory against Egypt in the African Cup of Nations final and repeated the feat against the same opponents to qualify the Lions of Teranga for the World Cup.
