FIFA have fined Senegal’s football federation $180,000 on Monday for fan disorder during the side’s World Cup playoff game with Egypt, including shining laser pointers at opposing winger Mohamed Salah in the penalty shootout.
Salah’s face was a blur of vivid green light when he prepared to take his penalty, which he blasted over the bar. Senegal went on to win the shootout in Dakar in March with Salah’s Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane scoring the decisive spot kick.
FIFA said its disciplinary committee also looked into a pitch invasion by Senegal fans, an offensive banner and the national federation’s “failure to ensure that law and order are maintained in the stadium.”
Senegal was also ordered to play a future competitive game in an empty stadium.
Mohamed Salah before his penalty miss against Senegal. pic.twitter.com/szlmfxDJkN
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 29, 2022
The FIFA disciplinary panel also judged dozens of similar cases from World Cup qualifying games played since January and handed out several other fines and stadium closures.
Nigeria was punished with a $154,000 fine and one-game stadium closure. Fans invaded the field in Abuja and there were other incidents of disorder after Nigeria was eliminated at home by Ghana in their playoff.
FIFA imposed fines of $128,000 on Congo and $103,000 on Lebanon in similar cases at games against Morocco and Syria, respectively. Both got one-game stadium closures.
Discrimination by fans of Chile and Colombia at their home games, plus other offenses, resulted in total fines of $98,000 and $56,500, respectively.