Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has blamed referee Said Martinez for his team’s exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He spoke after Senegal lost 3-2 to Belgium in the Round of 32 after extra time, despite leading 2-0 after 51 minutes.
Youri Tielemans scored Belgium’s equaliser and later their third goal in controversial situations. His header for the equaliser came after what looked like a push on a Senegal defender, while a penalty given for a foul by Lamine Camara was also debated.
Speaking to RTS Senegal, Thiaw said: “We were eliminated by the referee’s decision, it hurts, that’s for sure. Afterwards, we have to congratulate the team who gave everything, but unfortunately, we couldn’t manage when we were leading 2-0 and once they came back, it wasn’t easy.”
“The penalty is open to discussion, everyone can have their own interpretation. I don’t want to get into that.”
