#ENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 's next #FIFAWorldCup opponents have landed themselves in hot water

HOT WATER 

England’s World Cup last-16 opponents Senegal under investigation by FIFA and set to be punished for breaking rules

England’s upcoming World Cup opponents Senegal are under investigation by FIFA for breaking rules in Qatar.

The African nation face the Three Lions in the Round of 16 on Sunday after beating Ecuador 2-1 in their final Group A match.

But Senegal have landed themselves in hot water ahead of their clash against Gareth Southgate’s side for not complying with World Cup regulations.

Prior to their match with Ecuador on Tuesday, Senegal boss Aliou Cisse attended his pre-match press conference without one of his players.

FIFA rules state that the manager must be accompanied by someone from his squad in one of the two press conference rooms at the main media centre in Doha.

Cisse appeared with Monaco forward Krepin Diatta prior to Senegal’s opener against the Netherlands.

Kalidou Koulibaly, who scored the winner against Ecuador in the 70th minute, then featured alongside him before the win over Qatar.

But Cisse chose to speak to media on his own earlier in the week, with FIFA stating that action will now be taken against the Senegalese FA.

A statement on Wednesday morning read: “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has opened proceedings against the Senegalese Football Federation due to the potential breaches of article 44 of the Regulations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, article 2.7.2 of the Media and Marketing Regulations and article 8.5.3 of the Team Handbook.

“The potential breaches relate to the mandatory press conference that took place on 28 November ahead of the Ecuador v. Senegal FIFA World Cup™ match.”

It is highly likely that Senegal will be given just a fine, with Germany hit with an £8,800 penalty for the same offence earlier in the tournament.

Hansi Flick decided against bringing one of his players to the press conference before their 1-1 draw against Spain.

Giving his reasoning, the ex-Bayern Munich head coach stated he didn’t want a squad member to make the 71-mile journey from their Zulal Wellness Resort.

He said: “I came alone because we didn’t want a player to spend three hours on the road to come.

“The 26 players are important and everyone has to focus on the game. I’m optimistic.”