Diafra Sakho has been selected by Senegal for the first time since missing the African Nations Cup finals earlier this year. Sakho angered Senegal football federation officials by pulling out of their squad for January’s tournament because of a niggling back injury.
West Ham were later fined £71,000 – and reprimanded by FIFA – after they played Sakho in an FA Cup win just 18 days after he withdrew from the Senegal squad. The player scored in the 1-0 victory against Bristol City, and football’s top brass opened an investigation to see if the club had breached strict rules governing the player’s availability to play for his country.
This will be Sakho’s first inclusion in the squad in 10 months. His last appearance came on 15th November, when Senegal beat Egypt 1-0 in Cairo.