Senegal have been handed an £8,700 fine by FIFA for breaking World Cup rules just two days before they face England in the round-of-16 on Sunday.
The African Champions sealed their place in the knockout stages with a 2-1 win against Ecuador on Tuesday, leaving them second in Group B, behind the Netherlands. Jubilant scenes ensued on the touchline as the Lions of Teranga progressed past the group stages for just the second time in their history, and they learned of their opponents later the same evening after England beat Wales 3-0 to secure top spot in Group B.
Senegal have, however, been the subject of a FIFA probe since Wednesday after it was revealed that they failed to comply with the governing body's pre-match regulations. Every team must have their coach and one player attend a press conference one day prior to each game in one of two press conference rooms at the World Cup's main media centre.
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But on Monday, head coach Aliou Cisse spoke for around 40 minutes alone - a decision that is thought to have gone down like a lead ballon within FIFA, who have since confirmed they have fined the West African side for the rule break.
A FIFA statement confirmed the decision, reading: "The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the Senegalese Football Federation with a fine in the amount of CHF (Swiss Francs) 10,000 and a warning for breaches of article 44 of the Regulations for the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022™, article 2.7.2 of the Media and Marketing Regulations and article 8.5.3 of the Team Handbook. The potential breaches relate to the mandatory press conference that took place on 28 November ahead of the Ecuador v. Senegal Fifa World Cup™ match.”
Germany were also fined the same amount for failing to bring a player to their pre-Spain press conference. Their decision was discussed by head coach Hansi Flick before the clash, blaming their long trip to the media centre as the reason, given their base was setup in the north of Qatar.
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