Senegal Football Federation (FSF) President Abdoulaye Fall has claimed the national team's doctor was trained as a gynaecologist and did not have the specialist background needed to support the squad during the World Cup in North America.
Fall said feedback from players suggested they were not fully reassured about the medical support available.
"Based on the feedback I received, the players were not sufficiently reassured about being supported by him," Fall said.
He added that the federation sought additional medical expertise to reassure the squad.
"We had to find convincing expertise so they could feel reassured, because health comes before everything."
However, in a twist, the Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine dismissed the claims as "unfounded and defamatory" in a statement issued late Monday.
The association said the team doctor, Dr. Abderahmane Fediore, holds a specialist diploma in sports medicine and sports biology from Cheikh Anta Diop University's Faculty of Medicine.
It added that Dr. Fediore previously headed the physiotherapy department at Fann Hospital and has served as Senegal's team doctor since 2017, including at three FIFA World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.