Namibia Lodge Protest Over Senegal’s Player Eligibility After AFCON Qualifier Defeat
Namibia are set to lodge an official complaint to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following their 2-0 home defeat to Senegal in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, citing concerns over the eligibility of two Senegalese players.
The Namibian Football Association (NFA) is contesting the inclusion of Henri Saivet and Issa Cissokho, who were both named in the Senegal matchday squad in Windhoek last Saturday. Saivet started the match, while Cissokho remained an unused substitute.
According to NFA president Frans Mbidi, the issue lies in both players presenting French passports prior to the fixture.
“These players came with French passports, which indicates that they are French nationals,” Mbidi told local media. “When we asked for their passports before the match, we were told they did not have Senegalese passports — that’s why we played the match under protest, in accordance with CAF regulations.”
Namibia argue that the use of French documents could constitute a breach of AFCON eligibility rules, and the federation is preparing to take the matter to CAF with hopes of being awarded all three points.
However, the case may be difficult to win.
Both Saivet and Cissokho have already been cleared by FIFA to represent Senegal at the international level. Saivet, born in Dakar, is a former France youth international who switched allegiance to Senegal in line with FIFA rules. Cissokho, meanwhile, has also been capped multiple times by the Teranga Lions. Both players reportedly have at least four caps each for Senegal.
Senegal won the match 2-0 thanks to goals from Cheikhou Kouyaté and Sadio Mané, taking them to the top of their qualifying group with a perfect record after two games.
The controversy comes just days after Tunisia lodged a separate protest with CAF regarding poor playing conditions during their own AFCON qualifier against Liberia in Monrovia — underlining a tense international window across the continent.
CAF has yet to comment publicly on Namibia’s protest.
