March 30, (THEWILL) – For the kind of reception Egypt’s senior men’s squad endured before the game against Senegal, was due to kick off and the attitude of Senegalese fans during the course of the game, the Egypt Football Association (EFA) has filed a formal complaint.
Prior to Egypt’s tumultuous World Cup play-off defeat in Senegal, the Egyptians claimed they were attacked, while in their team bus and Mohamed Salah was subjected to racial abuse.
Senegal avenged a 1-0 first-leg defeat with a 1-0 second-leg victory before winning a contentious penalty shoot-out at Stade Abdoulaye Wade.
When it came to penalty kicks, Egypt’s players had lasers directed at them by home fans, which was likely a distraction given that three foreign players, including Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, failed to convert.
Senegal won the shootout 3-1, with Salah’s teammate Sadio Mane scoring the game-winning goal.
Even before the game, Egypt had had a difficult day, with photographs from their national football association revealing that the team bus had been hit by missiles on its approach to the stadium, which is located just outside of Dakar.
One glass was damaged, and Egyptian authorities shared photos of an apparently fractured windscreen and a rock hurled into the vehicle on social media.
The EFA also shared a photo of a banner inside the stadium that read “F*** YOU SALAH.”
In a statement, the EFA said: “Egypt files an official complaint against Senegal, due to the attack and the racist banners.
“The Egyptian team was subjected to racism after offensive banners appeared in the stadium stands for the players, specifically Mohamed Salah, the team leader. This was documented with pictures and videos that were attached to the complaint.”
According to Egyptian media, the complaint was made with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA, the world governing body.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
