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The Senegalese Football Association has sparked a race of speculation over the identity of the Lions of Teranga’s new coach after it sacked coach Pape Thiau following their disappointing exit from the 2026 World Cup, while French-Senegalese star Patrick Vieira emerged as the most likely rebuilding stage and leading candidate.
And it was revealed French newspaper L’Equipe A number of decision-makers in the Senegalese federation are pushing for Patrick Vieira to be appointed national team coach to replace Pape Thiau after Belgium’s 3-2 exit from the round of 32 after extra time in a result that fell far short of the Senegalese fans’ aspirations.
The executive office of Senegal’s football association is expected to hold an emergency meeting in the capital Dakar next Saturday to discuss a full assessment of the team’s participation in the World Cup finals hosted by the United States, which ended in an early and disappointing exit.
The match will be devoted to analyzing the reasons behind the setback that ended Senegal’s dream early, especially as the team came so close to reaching the last 16 after leading Belgium with two unanswered goals in the 86th minute before conceding three goals and exiting the tournament in dramatic fashion.
The Senegalese federation believes that individual errors were one of the most obvious reasons for the exit, particularly a ball-handling blunder by goalkeeper Mauri Diau that allowed Belgium to come back and overturn the result, despite the game being considered Senegal’s best performance in the tournament.
“He explained”L’Equipe“Patrick Vieira’s name is widely accepted in the corridors of the federation, not only because of his training experience, but also because of his close relationship with Senegal, as he was born in the capital city of Dakar, and he also contributed to the creation of the Diambars Academy, which is considered one of the most famous talent development academies in the country.
Senegalese officials believe that Vieira has the character and experience to rebuild the national team at a delicate stage, especially given the circumstances the country is going through and the need for a sporting project that can restore the status of the Lions of Teranga on the continental and international scene.
Vieira has not been linked with any club since leaving to coach Italian club Genoa in November 2025, making him eligible to take over the job if the two sides agree a deal.
The English former captain of Arsenal has a varied coaching record, having previously managed American teams New York City, French Nice, English Crystal Palace, French Strasbourg and finally Italian Genoa, which gives him a lot of experience in interacting with different football environments.
Senegal’s federation officially announced Pape Tiau’s suspension from the World Cup after the team failed to hold on to their lead against Belgium, losing 3-2 after extra time despite leading by two clean sheets heading into the final minutes of regular time.
The Senegalese federation has confirmed that it will hold a press conference tomorrow, Monday, to explain the reasons for Pape Tiau’s dismissal and review the team’s World Cup participation assessment, in addition to the specifics of the next round and the plan to select a new coach, with high expectations of the start of official talks with Patrick Vieira.
