Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly voiced his disappointment after Assane Diao and Ilay Camara withdrew from the AFCON 2025 squad ahead of the team’s match against Botswana.
Koulibaly highlighted the impact of losing key players at such a crucial moment. “It’s disappointing to lose players like Assane and Ilay.
Every player dreams of participating in the AFCON and the World Cup. Unfortunately, they won’t have the chance to play in this edition,” he said during the pre-match press conference.
The Senegalese international drew on goalkeeper Édouard Mendy’s experience to offer perspective and guidance to the young players.
“In the locker room, there’s one player who has been through this, and that’s Édouard Mendy.
He’s spoken to Assane the most because he knows what it feels like to start a competition and then be sidelined by injury.
In 2019, Mendy was injured during the warm-up and couldn’t start the AFCON. That didn’t stop him from returning and performing in the next tournament,” Koulibaly explained.
He added that Mendy’s advice focused on resilience and preparation. “Édouard gave Assane guidance on what he needs to do.
If you followed the AFCON, you know that Édouard made a decisive impact during the penalty shootout.
I hope Assane can experience that next time. He remains part of this group, and we want to keep him involved as much as possible.
Today he returned to Como, and we told him he must rejoin us when we reach the final, God willing.”
Koulibaly’s remarks underline Senegal’s determination to support their young talents despite setbacks.
The team continues to prepare rigorously for the clash with Botswana, ensuring every squad member stays engaged both on and off the pitch.
