World Cup 2026: Ferdinand Coly says Senegal must respond after difficult start

Ferdinand Coly has defended Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly after the defender faced criticism during the Lions of Teranga’s difficult start to the tournament, while urging the team to respond in their final group match against Iraq.

Senegal suffered defeats against France and Norway, losing 1-3 and 2-3 respectively, leaving their qualification hopes for the Round of 32 in a difficult position. The African side must now beat Iraq on Friday and depend on other results to keep their World Cup campaign alive.

Former Senegal international Coly believes the team’s struggles go beyond performances on the pitch, pointing to concerns surrounding the national team environment before the match against Norway.

Reports had raised questions about issues within the squad, including unpaid bonuses, the situation surrounding the coaching staff and conditions around the team camp. Coly said such matters should not affect players preparing for football’s biggest tournament.

“When you’re preparing to play in a World Cup, you put the team in the best possible position so that the players and the coaching staff can focus on only one thing: the pitch.

Everything that has been written is true. It’s not normal that the players are forced to buy food outside because what’s available isn’t suitable,” Coly told Afrik-Foot.

The former defender also expressed sympathy for Koulibaly, who was involved in the goals conceded during Senegal’s defeat by Norway.

“It saddens me because he’s a very good player who has done a lot for the national team. Koulibaly was injured playing for his Saudi club (Al-Hilal) in early April, and before playing against France, he had only played eight minutes in a friendly against Saudi Arabia (0-0, June 10).

It’s understandable that he’s lacking match fitness, and when you’re up against Mbappé, Dembélé, Haaland, or Sorloth, you can’t afford to make mistakes,” Coly said.

Coly also warned against underestimating opponents after some positive expectations before the tournament. He highlighted Norway’s quality, with players competing in Europe’s top leagues, and said Senegal needed to approach matches with greater humility.

“We were hearing talk of quarter-finals, semi-finals, bringing the Cup home… It’s good to be ambitious, but you also have to be humble, discreet, get through the first round first, and then see,” he added.

Looking ahead to the match against Iraq, Coly believes Senegal must make changes and show greater determination.

“There are players who perhaps deserve to be given a real chance, like Iliman Ndiaye or Habib Diarra. The coach stands by his choices, he’s right to say so, but against Iraq, we’ll have to adopt a different attitude, a different mentality, with true warriors, because the Iraqis have quality and won’t go down without a fight, as they also have a chance to qualify. And we also need to show humility.”

Coly also called for more influence from Senegal’s key players, including Sadio Mané, who he believes remains important despite having a quieter tournament so far.

“There’s less Sadio-dependence, but he remains a very important player. However, since the start of the World Cup, he’s been a bit like the team itself; his influence on the game has been quite limited. I hope that on Friday, everyone on the pitch will be highly motivated, because it will be a very difficult match…”