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Pierre Ménès criticizes Rudi Garcia's comments on Senegal's World Cup performance
via SeneNews1 min read
Rudi Garcia's statements following Belgium's 3-2 victory over Senegal in the 2026 World Cup round of sixteen have drawn criticism. The Belgian coach had commented on Senegal's management of the end of the match, suggesting they made a "serious error" by trying to protect their 2-0 lead. French consultant Pierre Ménès reacted to these remarks on social media. While expressing his appreciation for Garcia, Ménès deemed the Belgian coach's comments "inappropriate" and "as misplaced as it is stupid." Ménès believes Belgium's qualification, achieved after overcoming a two-goal deficit and a penalty in extra time, does not justify such criticism of the Senegalese team. He concluded that Garcia "would have done better to light a candle at church for the Belgian miracle," referencing the match scenario where Belgium overturned a 2-0 deficit against Senegal.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
Senegalese midfielder Pape Matar Sarr deactivated his Instagram account following Senegal's 3-2 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. Senegal, leading 2-0, conceded three goals after Sarr entered the game in the second half, leading to their elimination. Sarr faced significant criticism from supporters on social media after the match. Other Senegalese players, including Lamine Camara, also received strong criticism. Sarr has not publicly commented on the reasons for deactivating his Instagram account.
Must ReadThe French public prosecutor's office announced on Thursday its intention to appeal to the Court of Cassation following the Paris Court of Appeal's refusal to extradite Doro Gaye, a former advisor to former Senegalese President Macky Sall. Gaye is sought in Senegal on charges of fraud amounting to nearly 1.9 million euros. The Court of Appeal declined the extradition, citing insufficient guarantees from Senegalese authorities regarding the European Convention on Human Rights and concerns about the "risk of inhuman and degrading treatment" in detention. Gaye, 47, was arrested in France in December 2024. His defense argues that the extradition request is politically motivated, noting that the complaint against him was filed on the last day of Macky Sall's term. Senegal, which suspended all extraditions to France in December 2025, accusing France of non-cooperation, is also seeking the extradition of media executive Madiambal Diagne from Paris, against whom an international arrest warrant has been issued. In March, the Versailles Court of Appeal issued a "partially favorable" opinion regarding Diagne's extradition request.
Egypt's coach Hossam Hassan stated that it is "not certain" if captain Mohamed Salah will start in the World Cup 2026 round of 16 match against Australia on Friday. Salah, a former Liverpool star winger, sustained a thigh muscle injury in the last group stage match against Iran, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and was substituted. Hassan mentioned that Salah was partially reintegrated into collective training only on Wednesday. While Salah is eager to play, Hassan emphasized he would not take any risks unless Salah is 100% fit. He added that he is not certain Salah will be in the starting lineup. Neither Australia nor Egypt has ever won a knockout stage match in the World Cup. The winner of this match is likely to face Lionel Messi's Argentina, the reigning champions, who are strong favorites in their round of 16 game against Cape Verde.