Senegal’s 2026 World Cup dream ended in the cruelest way possible: a penalty conceded in stoppage time. Lamine Camara fouled Belgium’s Youri Tielemans inside the box on July 1, the referee pointed to the spot after a video review, and that was that.

Belgium converted. Senegal went home. An entire nation’s tournament, reduced to one moment of contact in the 90th-plus minute.

The foul that changed everything

The match was tight throughout, the kind of grinding Round of 32 affair where a single mistake decides everything. Camara provided that mistake. His challenge on Tielemans in the penalty area drew a whistle, and the referee subsequently consulted the video assistant referee before confirming the call.

Belgium buried the penalty and advanced, leaving Senegal to process what might have been. The Teranga Lions had shown flashes of real quality earlier in the tournament, including a commanding 5-0 demolition of Iraq during the group stage.

A tournament marked by officiating frustrations

The penalty wasn’t an isolated grievance for Senegal. Their World Cup campaign was peppered with officiating controversies that left the squad and their supporters increasingly frustrated.

Senegal had already protested what they viewed as contentious decisions during the tournament, including a disallowed goal that could have altered their trajectory. The frustrations weren’t limited to the World Cup either. Lingering bitterness from officiating issues during the recent Africa Cup of Nations final added fuel to the perception that calls weren’t going their way.

Fan tokens and the digital divide between national teams

Belgium has a fan token. Senegal does not.

Fan tokens, those blockchain-based assets that give holders voting rights on minor team decisions and access to exclusive content, have become a significant revenue stream for clubs and national teams willing to embrace them.

Kraken serves as FIFA’s official crypto partner for the tournament, but that partnership doesn’t extend to creating individual team tokens.