BLOW FOR SENEG GA MANE RULED OU T

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2006

Senegal star Sadio Manee h lost his race to be fit for tht 2022 World Cup and has been withdrawn from their squad, the country’ football federation announced on Thursday. Man was voted second in the Ball d’Or last month behind Karim Benzema and the 30-year-old Bayern Munich forward will be sorely missed by the African champions. The emblemae c Mane scored th winning penalty in a shoootout victory against Egypt in the African Cup of Nattions final and repeated the feat against the same oppponents to qualify the Lions o Teranga for the World Cuup.

Robert Lewandowski and his Poland teammates enjoyed a special World Cup send-off accompanied by fighter jets but critics questioned the use of military resources. Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak took to public radio on Friday to defend the decision to escort the team plane through Polish airspace the previous day. “It’s a good sign showing support for our players,” he said. Blaszczak on Thursday tweeted: “Our players are already on the way to the World Cup in Qatar. They are being escorted by F-16s to the border. Good luck!” .

He also posted a picture of the team’s plane flying next to an F-16. Blaszczak said the escort was nothing more than regular pilot training