Senegal leave out Souleymane Commissaire Faye as agent questions World Cup decision

Souleymane Commissaire Faye has been omitted from Senegal’s squad for the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, with his agent accusing coach Lamine Sane of making inaccurate statements and treating him with contempt.

The tournament is due to take place from 19 November to 13 December, less than 10 days after the squad decision. Assane Cisse, who represents the promising Be Sport Academy attacking midfielder, has spoken publicly about the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s exclusion in an interview with Dsports.

Faye’s absence follows a trial at Chelsea before the World Cup. According to Cisse, the player’s visit had gone ahead despite opposition from Sane, who did not want his key player to leave the national team during preparations.

The agent said Chelsea had already paid expenses for the left-footed player and members of his entourage to travel to London. He added that the trip had become increasingly urgent after being postponed because of the CAN U17 qualifiers.

Once the UFOA A tournament had ended, Sane reportedly wanted to keep Faye with the squad as preparations for the World Cup continued. Cisse said the coach then gave the player a maximum of five days to return to the national team camp.

That deadline was not met. The agent said he had even cancelled a planned trial at Manchester United in an attempt to satisfy the coach’s demand for Faye to return.

Cisse subsequently criticised Sane, accusing the Senegal Under-17 coach of spreading “untruths” and behaving in an especially arrogant manner towards him. The agent also expressed frustration at what he described as a lack of communication from the coaching staff.

After Faye’s name was absent from both the preliminary squad and the final list, Cisse said he informed the staff that the player would return. He also attempted to contact Sane directly, but said he received no response.

The agent’s account suggests that the disagreement over Faye’s movements played a central role in the decision to leave him out of the squad. However, Cisse said the midfielder has been included among Senegal’s reserves.

That status means Faye could still be called up if one of the selected players suffers an injury before or during the Under-17 World Cup.