Ilay Camara out of Africa Cup of Nations with right hamstring injury | OneFootball

Senegal have ruled out Ilay Camara from the Africa Cup of Nations, the federation announced on X on Tuesday, after the Anderlecht defender suffered a right hamstring injury. The tournament runs from 21 December to 18 January.

The 22-year-old, capped three times, sustained a grade II lesion to his right hamstring during Anderlecht’s 2-1 win over Saint-Trond at the weekend and was substituted in the 16th minute.

Developed in Belgium and selected across Red Devils youth sides, Camara recently chose Senegal and made his senior debut in March 2025 against Togo, a 2-0 win. He has featured at left-back and as a right wing-back.

His absence for the entire tournament opens the door to a replacement. The Lions of Teranga currently have three specialist full-backs, El-Hadji Malick Diouf of West Ham, Krépin Diatta of Monaco and Ismail Jakobs of Galatasaray, plus the versatile Antoine Mendy of Nice.

Senegal begin their campaign on Tuesday 23 December against Botswana, kick-off 16:00.

Source: L'Équipe