Senegal Sack Pape Thiaw After World Cup Exit — Gueye’s Ultimatum Ends Coach’s Reign

Senegal have dismissed head coach Pape Thiaw following their round-of-32 elimination from the World Cup, a decision accelerated by midfielder Pape Gueye’s public refusal to play under the current staff. The Teranga Lions surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 after extra time against Belgium in Seattle. Youri Tielemans won and converted a controversial penalty deep into extra time to complete the comeback. Senegal had scraped into the knockout phase as one of the eight best third-placed teams after crushing Iraq 5-0 in their final Group I match. Earlier, they had lost to France and Norway. Gueye, the Villarreal midfielder who scored twice against Iraq, announced on social media that he would “take a break” from the national team for as long as the coaching staff remained. His statement came shortly after the Belgium defeat. The Senegalese Football Federation acted swiftly, announcing Sunday that Thiaw had been removed “in the best interests of Senegalese football” following a full evaluation of results and future prospects. Thiaw’s tenure had been marked by the chaotic 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, where he ordered Senegal’s players off the pitch after Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty. Play resumed after a 17-minute delay, and Gueye scored what appeared to be the winner, but CAF later awarded the title to Morocco after ruling Senegal had forfeited. The federation has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Thiaw took charge in December 2024 and led Senegal to World Cup qualification, but his time ends after just one major tournament campaign.