Plane grounding forces Liverpool's Mane to skip prize parade

Liverpool star Sadio Mane's triumphant homecoming to Senegal after winning Africa's top football prize was scuppered Wednesday when problems with overflight permission in Tunisia grounded his jet.

Senegal's capital Dakar had readied celebrations for the 27-year old, who was crowned Africa's 2019 Player of the Year in Egypt on Tuesday.

The first Senegalese player to win the prize since 2002, Mane was meant to land to crowds of supporters in Dakar, followed by a parade and a ceremony with the president.

But the festivities were called off on Wednesday after a delay in receiving overflight permission from Tunisian authorities, said Bakary Cisse, an official in Mane's entourage.

"The Reds and the forward had made provisions for him to fly to his homeland directly from the ceremony in Egypt in recognition of the support many in his country had given him on his journey towards receiving the prestigious prize," Liverpool said in a statement.

"However, travel disruption beyond both his and the club's control meant he was unable to make the visit and will now do so at the earliest possible opportunity."