- From AFCON chaos to El-Mundial collapse against Belgium
Following the Teranga Lions’ devastating World Cup collapse, where they surrendered a two-goal lead to Belgium in the Round of 32, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has officially sacked Head Coach Pape Thiaw from his position.
The Federation announced the firing of Thiaw and his entire technical staff on Sunday, prompting rumors that Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira may be targeted as the next Manager to rebuild the national team.
In a statement posted on its official website, the FSF said: “Following a meeting of the (FSF) executive committee, it was decided to initiate proceedings to relieve national team coach Pape Thiaw, as well as the entire coaching staff, of their duties.”
According to the statement, the FSF President Abdoulaye Fall is scheduled to address the media tomorrow, Monday, July 13, 2026, to detail the restructuring plans while also explaining officially the “reasons behind this decision” and “to discuss the future”.
Born on February 5, 1981, Thiaw, 45 is a former Senegal international, who took over as national team boss in 2024. During his active days, he played as a forward for several clubs in France, Switzerland and Spain, as well as Dynamo Moscow in Russia on a six-month loan from Strasbourg.
Featuring for the Teranga Lions, he was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and scored five (5) goals for his country. He paid the ultimate price for a rocky group stage where Senegal were pushed to the brink of a humiliating early exit following bruising defeats to European heavyweights France and Norway.
However, their World Cup campaign felt on the verge of total collapse until a sensational 5-0 rout of Iraq provided a dramatic lifeline, salvaging a spot in the knockout rounds. Yet, the earlier group-stage struggles left a mark on the tournament, and that turbulent start to the global stage ultimately cost the manager his position.
Thaw is certainly paying the price for the West African nation’s catastrophic 2026 World Cup collapse against Belgium in the round of 32 that had them leading 2-0 until the 86th minute, when they conceded three straight goals to exit the tournament.
Also recalled that in January 2026, Thiaw coached Senegal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and in the AFCON final against host Morocco, he urged his players to leave the field in protest after the referee awarded the Atlas Lions a penalty in stoppage time, a development that prompted disciplinary proceedings against him after the match.
This led to him being banned for five games and fined $100,000 for “unsporting conduct” and “bringing the game into disrepute” by the Confederation of African Football.
Meanwhile, French outlet, L’Équipe reports that Arsenal legend, Patrick Vieira has emerged as the front-runner to take over as the Teranga Lions’ new helsman. Born in Dakar, the World Cup winner is highly favored by top FSF officials to rebuild the squad. – With AFP reports
