The Senegal squad departed for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon on Wednesday, without three players who tested positive for Covid-19, the sports ministry told AFP.
The Teranga Lions, who are favoured to finally win the continental crown after two runners-up spots, were meant to fly out on Tuesday but put it back to Wednesday.
“(The team) left Dakar but without the three players and the six members of the management affected by Covid,” a Senegalese sports ministry official told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
The trio of players have been placed in quarantine.
“There are at least three cases: Saliou Ciss, (Mamadou) Loum Ndiaye and Habib Diallo,” the official told AFP.
“There are other suspected cases too.”
The squad had been hosted by Senegal President Macky Sall on Tuesday who had called on them to “bring us the cup”.
Senegal’s challenge, led by Liverpool forward Sadio Mane and Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, begins against Zimbabwe on January 10, followed by further Group B matches against Guinea and Malawi.
