Conference League: Ceesay injured, Samsunspor awaits UEFA green light for Cherif Ndiaye

The Turkish club hopes to replace the Gambian on their European squad list with the Senegalese striker

Cherif Ndiaye / Samsunspor / Super Lig

Ebrima Ceesay has suffered an injury and can no longer represent Samsunspor in the Conference League. The young Gambian forward is dealing with a long-term injury that rules him out of the group stage. The Turkish club has officially requested UEFA's approval to replace him with Cherif Ndiaye.

Ebrima Ceesay will miss several months of competition, including the UEFA Conference League group stage. The Gambian midfielder, sidelined since August 15, was originally included on the club's European roster, but his lengthy absence has forced Samsunspor to act. The club's medical and legal teams have finalized the injury report and submitted it to the European governing body.

"Ebrima Ceesay, whose name we had entered on the UEFA list, has been injured for an extended period. Samsunspor has taken the necessary steps to remove Ceesay from the UEFA list and replace him with Cherif Ndiaye. Our lawyers and doctors prepared the medical report and sent it to UEFA. If UEFA gives a positive response, N'Diaye will be eligible to play in the Conference League group stage," the Super Lig club announced.

Cherif Ndiaye joined Samsunspor on September 13 after two full seasons with Red Star Belgrade. The Senegalese striker signed a four-year contract and made his debut the following weekend against Fatih Karagümrük. Starting the match, he scored his first goal before being forced off with an injury around the hour mark.

UEFA listesine ismini yazdırdığımız Ebrima Ceesay uzun süreli sakatlandı. Ceesay’ın UEFA listesinden silinip yerine Cherif Ndiaye'nin yazılmasıyla ilgili Samsunspor kulübü çalışmalarını yaptı. Avukat ve doktorlarımız sakatlık raporunu hazırlayıp UEFA’ya gönderdi. UEFA'dan gelecek… pic.twitter.com/CE6m9BIbEO

— Samsunspor | yirmiocakorg (@yirmiocakorg) September 23, 2025