DAKAR Feb 17 (Reuters) – Demba Ba was among several
high-profile casualties as Senegal kept just nine of the squad
from the recent African Nations Cup finals for a friendly
against South Africa in Durban on Feb. 29.
The Newcastle United striker was dropped along with other
players including Mamadou Niang, Souleymane Diawara and Moussa
Sow, who recently moved to Fenerbahce in Turkey in a
10-million-euro transfer from French champions Lille.
Co-coaches Karim Sega Diouf and Aliou Cisse, who are acting
in a caretaker capacity after the firing of Amara Traore, have
promoted several players from the country’s under-23 side for
the first match for Senegal since a disastrous Nations Cup
campaign.
Traore was sacked earlier this month after Senegal, one of
the pre-Nations Cup favourites, lost all three group games at
the tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Among those who survived the cull were Ba’s new club mate
Papiss Demba Cisse and Wigan Athletic midfielder Mouhamed Diame.
Back in the squad is striker Mame Biram Diouf, formerly on the
books at Manchester United, who is now at Hanover in the
Bundesliga.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Bouna Coundoul (unattached), Khadim Ndiaye (ASC
Linguere)
Defenders: Abdoulaye Ba (Academica Coimbra, Portugal),
Jacques Faty (Sivasspor, Turkey), Papa Gueye (Metalist Kharkov,
Ukraine), Kader Mangane (Stade Rennes, France), Cheikh Mbengue
(Toulouse, France), Pape Ndiaye Souare (Lille, France), Matar
Thioune (Molde, Norway), Zarco Toure (Boulogne-sur-Mer, France)
Midfielders: Stephane Badji (Sandals, Norway), Mouhamed
Diame (Wigan Athletic, England), Ricardo Faty (PAOK Salonika,
Greece), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Lille, France), Cheikh Kouyate
(Anderlecht, Belgium), Ndiaye Deme Ndiaye (Arles Avignon,
France)
Continued…
