Rabat – Senegal’s national team chef has broken his silence after being accused of sexual harassment during the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
The man, known as “Chef Diallo,” spoke to L’Observateur after his sudden departure from the Senegal camp before a World Cup match involving the Lions.
Seneweb, citing L’Observateur, reported that the chef had been accused by a locally recruited employee of repeated remarks, inappropriate gestures, alleged touching, and a “promise of marriage.” The same report said the woman claimed to have audio recordings to support her accusation.
The report also said the chef was allegedly removed from the hotel at night and later returned to Senegal, a move that reportedly disrupted the team’s food operation during the competition.
Chef Diallo denies the allegations
According to WiwSport, he said the incident involved a woman of Costa Rican origin who had been presented to him as a kitchen assistant.
He said he only gave her a “friendly pat on the back” at the end of service to thank her for helping in the kitchen.
“I never proposed marriage to anyone,” he said. “I simply gave her a friendly pat before leaving the kitchen.”
He said he never behaved inappropriately toward the woman and described the accusation as a “cabale” against him.
Chef Diallo also said he was not arrested by police and that he left the United States after preparing dinner for the players. WiwSport reported that he says no official complaint had been notified to him.
Logistics dispute behind the tension
Before addressing the allegation, Chef Diallo also spoke about what he described as serious logistical problems around Senegal’s food preparation.
He said that two months before Senegal traveled to the United States, the team had been put in contact with Maya Fall, an American woman of Senegalese origin who was responsible for logistics.
According to his account, she handled logistics for both Senegal and Ivory Coast, and all food and accommodation matters had to go through her.
Chef Diallo said the players only eat halal food and trust him with their meals.
He claimed that when the team arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina, the kitchen did not have the products he had requested, and that some food available to him did not meet halal requirements.
He said he refused to cook some of the meat provided and instead prepared only chicken and fish.
He also claimed he used his own money to buy some ingredients for the players.
Questions over Senegal’s organization
The case has added more pressure on Senegal’s football authorities after earlier reports about poor organization around the national team during the tournament.
Senegal’s camp had already been surrounded by off-field issues, including claims that the team had no official chef and that some players were ordering food from outside because of concerns over hotel meals.
Seneweb reported that Senegal’s Ministry of Sports distanced itself from the case, with delegation chief Mama Laye Mbaye saying the chef was not on the ministry’s official list and that he was already absent when the ministry arrived.
The Senegalese Football Federation has not publicly released full details of the case.
Unanswered questions remain
For now, the case remains based on media reports and Chef Diallo’s own denial.
Chef Diallo says he is the victim of a plot linked to tensions over the team’s catering and logistics.
The case has now opened a wider debate in Senegal over how the national team was managed during the World Cup, especially around food, travel, delegation planning, and accountability.
What is clear is that the controversy has moved beyond one accusation.
It has become another sign of the off-field problems that followed Senegal during their World Cup campaign.
