“Now they realize the luxury of Morocco.” Senegalese players are extremely dissatisfied with American hotels.

Senegal are facing a severe domestic crisis that threatens to derail their chances at the 2026 World Cup ahead of a crucial clash against Norway in the early hours of Tuesday after media reports revealed the failure of the Senegalese Football Association to pay player fees and a serious deterioration in conditions around the Lions of Teranga.

The site noted:Sports News Africa“Senegal’s federation has not paid the bonuses for the players despite the huge sums associated with qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and qualifying for the 2026 World Cup finals.

This financial crisis comes at the worst possible time as Senegal prepares to play a semi-elimination match against Norway that could decide their fate in the qualification round after a disappointing 3-1 defeat by France in the opening round of the first group.

Senegal put on a strong first-half display against France before coach Pape Thiau’s men collapsed in the second half to concede three goals, putting them under huge pressure ahead of a trip to Norway where a loss could almost mean elimination from the qualifiers.

The crisis has not been limited to the financial side but has also involved the team’s logistical conditions as a number of players have expressed their strong displeasure at the standard of hotel accommodation, which has been described as “much lower” than the hotels the team stayed in during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations held just 6 months ago.

In a remarkable development, the head chef, who was present for the national team at the Africa Cup of Nations, did not accompany the team on this trip, much to the chagrin of the players who complained about the mediocre quality of the food they were served and they did not hesitate to order their meals from outside restaurants in protest against the low standard of food.

This stark disparity in treatment between two tournaments separated by only 6 months raised major questions about the financial and organizational management of the Senegalese federation, especially as this type of crisis was not familiar to the Senegalese national team for many years.

Most dangerously, coach Pape Tiau himself is suffering from a complicated legal and financial situation as his contract with the Senegalese federation has expired and he continues to work without a valid contract, demanding 5 months of his unpaid salary in blatant and flagrant negligence by the federation towards a coach who successfully led the team to the World Cup.