text: The Newcastle United Blog | » Senegal FA Prevent Cisse From Playing Today
  2:05pm Saturday, November 17th, 2012
  It seems the Senegal FA have used the five day rule to prevent Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse from playing today against Swansea – that's going to be great for Newcastle – Senegal relations in the future.
  Papiss Cisse – not playing today
  Newcastle have issued this statement today:
  Newcastle United is dismayed and angry at the position adopted by the Senegalese Federation, and supported by FIFA, which means that Papiss Cisse is unable to play any part in today's Premier League fixture against Swansea City.
  Immediately following the Premier League fixture against West Ham United on Sunday the Club went through the normal communication channels to advise the Senegalese Federation that both Papiss and Demba Ba would not be available for the international friendly match between Niger and Senegal scheduled for Wednesday, 14th November 2012, due to injury.
  No reply was received and as such further communications were sent to the Federation on Monday, 12th November. The Club was not prepared to allow Papiss to travel to Niger as this would have been detrimental to his clinical condition.
  In accordance with FIFA Regulations the Club was more than happy for the player to be examined in England by a doctor of the Federation's choice in order to validate the player's medical condition.
  The Federation did not take this option and instead contacted FIFA to ask them to apply the Regulation that effectively prevents Papiss from playing this weekend. It is the opinion of the Club that it is wrong and wholly unjust for a national association to behave in this manner and for FIFA to endorse their stance and automatically apply the sanction without taking into account the specific facts of the case.
  The Club is disappointed, although not in any way surprised, that FIFA has disregarded its submissions and valid points in relation to this matter and instead have supported a national association which ignored repeated attempts by the Club to engage with them and, furthermore, insisted on a course of action which would have had a detrimental impact on the player's physical condition.
  The Club understands that in addition to Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba, a number of other players were withdrawn from the Senegal squad.
  To the best of our knowledge Papiss Cisse and Newcastle United are the only parties that the national association has sought sanctions against.
  It is the Club's genuinely held view that the Senegalese Federation have an agenda against Papiss and/or Newcastle United, possibly as a reaction to the Club's decision earlier this year not to allow Papiss to participate in the London Olympics 2012.
  The Club intends to take this matter up with the Football Association and any other relevant body within the game to try to stop national associations/federations and FIFA from preventing an employee (a player) from fulfilling their contractual obligations to their employer (a Club).
  The Club acknowledges the importance of international football and the great honour players undoubtedly get from representing their country.
  That said national associations and FIFA should have a duty of care to Clubs with regards to their players and it cannot be allowed to continue that national associations can, as in this case, seek to act in a way which is not in the best interests of a player and compromises their well-being and, furthermore, is then able to apply to FIFA who impose a sanction which damages that individual and his employer without a fair and equitable process being applied.
  The Club will be speaking to its legal advisors to see if it has recourse against the Senegalese Federation and/or FIFA.
  Papiss Cisse said:
  "I am deeply disappointed by the actions of my Federation which have punished me and my Club." "I love playing for my country and would only withdraw from a squad – for either a friendly or competitive game – for a genuine reason."
  This is a crazy and stupid thing that the Senegal FA seems to have done, and it will only worsen the relationships with Newcastle United who had two players playing for them last year in the African Cup of Nations.
  The countries should remember that friendlies mean absolutely nothing these days and that the clubs pay the players their wages.
  We're pleased Newcastle will take legal action – and we better not lose today.
  Previous Post Match Preview - Newcastle vs Swansea
  There are important Premier League games and important Premier League games, but this one is extra important, after we lost to West Ham United last Sunday – a team we hammered 5-0…
  Next Post Sammy Ameobi And Anita Start Against Swansea
  Alan Pardew has made three changes to the Newcastle United line-up for Saturday's Premier League fixture against Swansea City at St. James' Park, and the Senegal FA and FIFA have prevented Papiss…
  Nov 17, 2012 at 2:07 PM
  Krul; Simpson, Williamson, Taylor, Santon; Ben Arfa, Anita, Tiote, Ferguson; Ameobi, Ba.
  Offkey is that the starting 11 ?
  Nov 17, 2012 at 2:09 PM
  _________krul______
  santon_willo_saylor_fergie
  ______bigi/anita_tiote____
  obatan_____HBA_____sammy
  __________ba_______
  Nov 17, 2012 at 2:10 PM
  Shola or sammy?
  Nov 17, 2012 at 2:11 PM
  proud of wor papiss here
  @3 Apparently, Sammi starting it says, shola on the bench
  subs: Elliot, Tavernier, Abeid, Bigirimana, Marveaux, Amalfitano, Shola Ameobi
  so is that team the starting 11 not just your choice
  So sammy means no 442?
  Nov 17, 2012 at 2:14 PM
  Bit of a joke from the Senegalese FA. Understandable if we had cisse and Ba out of every single friendly but we have been pretty good in not preventing them or trying to prevent them leaving for friendlies.
  I think this is all in relation to us fighting to stop cisse going to the Olympics.
  Plying for your country is the pinnacle in my eyes but if he is injured he cannot play for them.
  It's a silly rule anyway. How can Fifa make a rule like this. A player could easily be suffering a dead leg on Wednesday and be for by te weekend.
  any links to the game so far??
  Total joke we have enough players missing hope we can manage to take some sort of action against them
  Does that mean free role for HBA ?
  im thinking 451
  hba just behind ba
  ferg and sammy on the wings
  well if the ameobi is sammy then i am still happy
  Please let it be sammy, please at last we have some decent shape.
  Just save he link, it refreshes available games every day
  Everyone keeps mentoning sammy is he not injured
  straight away im thinking he is going more attac minded
  links can be found on vipbox.tv
  carnt get them on my work pc
  Beats me how a club pays his wages, and he cannot play because of some poxy made up rule beetween FIFA [whom we know to be corrupt just look at the Head Muppett for a reference point, corrupt is his middle name] just because of timing and injury.