Showing posts with label Senegal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Senegal. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 August 2026
PATRICK VIEIRA TAKES OVER AS HEAD COACH OF SENEGAL'S TERANGA LIONS
Former Arsenal and France Captain, Patrick Vieira, has been appointed as the new head coach of the Senegal men’s national team.
The 50‑year‑old replaces Pape Thiaw, who was sacked in the wake of the country’s last‑32 exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Born in Senegal’s capital Dakar, Vieira will now manage the country of his birth, having moved to France aged eight before later winning over 100 caps for Les Bleus and lifting the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.
Senegal’s football federation (FSF) said the appointment of Vieira reflects its “desire to strengthen its high-level technical staff” and is “perfectly aligned” with the nation’s sporting ambitions.
Details of Vieria’s contract and his starting date in the role are still being discussed.
His first matches in charge of the Teranga Lions are expected to come next month in qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Vieira joins the West Africans after he left his role as Genoa head coach by mutual consent last November, with the team bottom of Serie A.
He won eight and drew nine of his 26 games during the 2024-25 season to guide the Italian club to safety and a 13th-place finish.
However, he left the club after managing just two wins in 25-26, with both of those victories coming in the Coppa Italia.
During his playing career, midfielder Vieira won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups at Arsenal, as well as silverware with AC Milan, Inter Milan and Manchester City.
He retired in 2011 and became the manager of New York City in 2016 before returning to Europe with Nice and leading them to seventh in Ligue 1 in his first season.
Vieira was sacked in December 2020 and became Crystal Palace manager the following year, guiding the Eagles to 12th in the Premier League and the FA Cup semi-finals in 2021-22.
He was dismissed in March 2023 after a 12-game winless run, before joining RC Strasbourg as their first appointment following a takeover by BlueCo, the company which owns Chelsea. He left Strasbourg by mutual consent in July 2024.
His predecessor Thiaw was at the centre of controversy in January when he ushered his Senegal team off the field when Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty in the 2025 AFCON final.
- ThisDayLive
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
SENEGAL TEAM DICTOR 'TRAINED AS A GYNAECOLOGIST', FEDERATION PRESIDENT SAYS
Senegal's team doctor lacked the specialist background needed to support the squad during the World Cup in North America, the president of the country's football federation said on Monday, as the governing body took stock of a disappointing campaign.
The team doctor was “trained as a gynaecologist” and the issue was discovered late and had raised concern among players about the level of medical support available, federation chief Abdoulaye Fall told a press conference.
"Based on the feedback I received, the players were not sufficiently reassured about being supported by him,” Fall said. The federation sought additional medical expertise to reassure the squad, he added.
"We had to find convincing expertise so they could feel reassured, because health comes before everything," said Fall.
The Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine rejected the allegations as "unfounded and defamatory" in a statement issued late on Monday.
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| IMAGN IMAGES vis Reuters |
It said the team doctor, Abderahmane Fediore, holds a specialist diploma in sports medicine and sports biology from Cheikh Anta Diop University's faculty of medicine.
He previously led the physiotherapy department at Fann Hospital and has worked as Senegal's team doctor since 2017 including at three World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations.
Senegal fired coach Pape Bouna Thiaw on Saturday, saying their results at the World Cup necessitated a change.
Senegal had hoped to be contenders at the World Cup, after beating Morocco in January’s Africa Cup of Nations final, but had a disappointing tournament.
They lost their opening two group games to France and Norway and let slip a 2-0 lead with five minutes remaining against Belgium in the last 32 before going down 3-2 in extra time.
- Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Ken Ferris (Reuters)
Monday, 13 July 2026
PEPE THIAW HAD TO GO AFTER DISASTROUS WORLD CUP, BUT HIS SENEGAL LEGACY WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN
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| Pape Thiaw said that issues relating to his own contract and the payment of Senegal players' bonuses have been resolved. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images |
Senegal announced the dismissal of head coach Pape Thiaw this weekend, ending a tenure that closes in World Cup ignominy, but one which will enter the annals of Senegalese and African football.
He departs after a disastrous tournament, amidst administrative dysfunction, dressing room unrest, public criticism and tactical errors. Yet he also leaves having restored Senegal to the summit of African football, whose Africa Cup of Nations triumph - underpinned by his staging a walk-out in the final - will endure both for the boost it gave Senegalese football, and - briefly at least - for the pan-African sentiment it inspired.
When Aliou Cisse was let go in October 2024, Senegalese football was not united behind the decision. The respected Cisse had taken Senegal to the top of the African game during his decade-long tenure - winning the country's first Africa Cup of Nations - but lost his job after a disappointing AFCON in 2024.
Thiaw, who had been Cisse's assistant, represented continuity in personnel but was a more vocal, confident, brash figure than his predecessor.
The changes he introduced were subtle but effective; Krepin Diatta - formerly a winger - was established as the team's first choice right back while on the other flank El Hadji Malick Diouf was promoted to starting left back, and the pair gave Senegal clear attacking intent and quality delivery from wide positions. Some of the 2021 AFCON winners dropped out of the national pool altogether, Habib Diallo was deprioritised, and Iliman Ndiaye became more prominent - even if, right until the end, he arguably wasn't used entirely effectively.
Largely, however, Thiaw maintained the qualities that had anchored Senegalese success under Cisse: the impermeable defensive triangle, a muscular/combative midfield, the inspiration of Sadio Mane, and fast, mobile attacking options.
During the AFCON, Senegal were rarely exhilarating, but they conceded just two in seven throughout the tournament, although their final victory over Morocco will never purely be a footballing victory.
In the weekend ahead of the showdown, Thiaw had publicly urged the Confederation of African Football to protect African football's credibility amid growing perceptions that Morocco, as hosts and future World Cup 2030 co-hosts, were benefiting from favourable treatment.Thiaw urged Morocco to protect the 'image of Africa' ahead of the final, while citing logistics, training facilities, accommodation and ticketing as four areas in which he felt Senegal had been treated unfairly.
Many African countries - particularly those who had already been eliminated by Morocco, feeling that the deck had been stacked against them - applauded Thiaw for standing up to the authorities. Perhaps this emboldened him ahead of his behaviour in the Rabat final.
A disallowed Senegal goal was promptly followed by a penalty awarded to Morocco following extensive VAR consultation by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala. The sense of injustice proved too much for Thiaw, who ordered his players off the field amidst crowd violence and frantic scenes between the two benches.
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| Pape Thiaw Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto |
For over ten minutes, the fate of the final hung in the balance, with the game descending into perhaps the ugliest spectacle African football has ever witnessed. Certainly, the 'image of Africa' was damaged... and Thiaw was its architect.
The final eventually resumed; Brahim Diaz, rattled by the delay, opted for a Panenka, Edouard Mendy saved, the match went to extra time, and Pape Gueye scored the winner. Diplomatic relations between Morocco and Senegal still haven't recovered, it remains to be seen whether and how the AFCON brand will be damaged by the incident into the future.
History will never completely absolve Thiaw for the decisions he made that night. Afterwards, he insisted that he was merely thinking of his players: "I simply tried to protect my players from injustice," he posted on Instagram. "What some will see as a violation of the rules is nothing more than an emotional reaction to the bias of the situation."
As an excuse, it didn't fly. CAF suspended him for five months and imposed a substantial fine for bringing the game into disrepute. In Senegal, the response - and his standing - could not have been more different. The scenes upon the team's return were extraordinary; thousands greeted the champions as conquering heroes. Thiaw, despite his suspension, and despite continental criticism, had delivered another continental crown. In Dakar, he was celebrated as a man who had refused to bow, regardless of the consequences.
This affection extended beyond Senegal's borders, with Thiaw seen as a Robin Hood figure in the face of perceived, alleged, CAF-Morocco collusion.
When the Teranga Lions assembled again during the March international window, the reception in Paris at the Stade de France from Senegal's vast diaspora reflected just how deeply Africa's new champions connected with their supporters. Thiaw was relaxed, smiling, almost overwhelmed by the scale of the appreciation. Maybe his $100,000 fine was a small price to pay for becoming a national hero and bringing home a second AFCON crown.
Few could have imagined that four months later he would be gone.
Everything has unravelled with alarming speed, with the World Cup exposing weaknesses that AFCON glory had once concealed. Some were tactical, some related to personnel; Thiaw's continued reliance upon Kalidou Koulibaly despite his decline and recent injury absence appeared sentimental rather than pragmatic, and Senegal's once immaculate defensive structure began creaking.
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| Gabriel BOUYS / AFP via Getty Images |
The collapse from 2-0 ahead against Belgium - arguably facilitated by Thiaw's perplexing substitutions - will haunt him for years, as Senegal surrendered control, lost the initiative, and watched Belgium sense vulnerability before staging a remarkable comeback.
Other weaknesses were administrative. The tournament became overshadowed by reports of contractual uncertainty, disputes with the federation, payment disagreements, inadequate preparation, catering problems within the camp, logistics issues, unprofessional behaviour, conflicting agendas and persistent distractions surrounding bonuses.
Koulibaly told EPSN that he didn't believe the external factors had an impact on the team's on-field struggles. "I think we're looking for excuses. That's stuff outside of football. We need to focus on the pitch and on what happens there."
Thiaw publicly agreed, but even the fact he was answering administrative questions midway through a World Cup was a problem. "There have been some issues," he said. "But whatever they are, the players, the coaching staff, the federation are focused on [the Norway] match.
"The matter [of his contract] has been resolved. It's true that it took too long. The only thing I want to make clear is that it was never about money. It was a matter of principle and respect."
Not the words of a happy employee.
Rather than providing stability, Senegal's football authorities created instability and uncertainty. Thiaw confirmed that he didn't even have a contract when the tournament began, with a deal only being done - belatedly - ahead of the Norway game.
Thiaw seemed transformed. Gone was the confidence, the composure, the bravado of January...this was a coach who had smiled calmly in the post-AFCON final press conference as Moroccan journalists hurled aggressive abuse at him before ultimately boycotting the interaction.
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| Photo by Sarah Stier - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images |
Instead, his answers were shortened, his voice slow and monotone, his demeanour downtrodden. The dressing room also fractured.
Gueye didn't mention Thiaw specifically in his post-tournament Instagram announcement that he would no longer represent Senegal while the existing 'technical staff' are in place but expressed his dissatisfaction with the coach very visibly as he was substituted against Belgium. Others were forced to come out on social media to deny reports of rifts and dissatisfaction. By the time the Senegalese Football Federation acted this weekend, the outcome felt inevitable.
It's impossible to ignore that the federation dismissed a coach whose own authority had repeatedly been undermined by the very institution now judging him. Maybe they were never entirely convinced by Thiaw, his tactics, his behaviour at the AFCON, the PR consequences, and are quietly happy to have parted ways with a character who they could hardly have dismissed in the immediate aftermath of his Nations Cup triumph.
Thiaw's story - his remarkable triumph, and his World Cup failure - is one of nuanced situations. The glories of January could not come without the ignominy of that final, nor could the disastrous collapse against Belgium not be truly understood without the troubled context in which Senegal attempted to tackle this tournament.
The World Cup may have ended his tenure, but the Africa Cup of Nations - whether or not it officially ends up with Senegal - will ensure that he will never be forgotten.
- Ed Dove
Monday, 29 June 2026
NINE AFRICAN COUNTRIES RECORDED THE HIGHEST CANADIAN VISITOR VISA REVECTION RATES AHEAD OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP
Highest visa rejection rates (2026 World Cup)
1. 🇨🇩 DRC - Refusal Rate: 96.1% - Approved: 15 - Refused: 370 - Total Processed: 385
2. 🇰🇪 Kenya - Refusal Rate: 91.1% - Approved: 20 - Refused: 205 - Total Processed: 225
3. 🇬🇭 Ghana - Refusal Rate: 89.3% - Approved: 185 - Refused: 1,540 - Total Processed: 1,725
4. 🇨🇲 Cameroon - Refusal Rate: 87.0% - Approved: 15 - Refused: 100 - Total Processed: 115
5. 🇳🇬 Nigeria - Refusal Rate: 86.0% - Approved: 110 - Refused: 675 - Total Processed: 785
6. 🇸🇳 Senegal - Refusal Rate: 85.3% - Approved: 25 - Refused: 145 - Total Processed: 170
7. 🇪🇹 Ethiopia - Refusal Rate: 78.6% - Approved: 30 - Refused: 110 - Total Processed: 140
8. 🇩🇿 Algeria - Refusal Rate: 73.5% - Approved: 65 - Refused: 180 - Total Processed: 245
9. 🇪🇬 Egypt - Refusal Rate: 59.1% - Approved: 225 - Refused: 325 - Total Processed: 550
Source: CTVNews/Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
Tuesday, 2 June 2026
Monday, 1 June 2026
Friday, 29 May 2026
Thursday, 21 May 2026
Monday, 23 March 2026
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
SENEGAL STRIPPED OF AFCON TITLE, MOROCCO DECLARED CHAMPIONS
Senegal say they will appeal after they were sensationally stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title on Tuesday and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) instead declared Morocco champions
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| Senegal stripped of AFCON title AFP |
Senegal say they will appeal after they were sensationally stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title on Tuesday and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) instead declared Morocco champions, two months after their chaotic final. Several Senegalese players controversially walked off the pitch in Rabat during the final on January 18 in protest when the hosts were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time. After Senegal's players eventually returned having been coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Sadio Mane, Morocco missed the penalty and Pape Gueye went on to score the goal in extra time that gave his team a 1-0 victory.
CAF said that having studied Morocco's appeal, "the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the match" and the result was "officially recorded as 3-0" in favour of Morocco.
The CAF Appeals Committee justified its decision by applying Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, which state that if a team "refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered (loser) and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition".
The articles add that the team contravening the regulations "will lose its match by 3-0".
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said in a statement its appeal "was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations".
"The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, to the clarity of the competitive framework, and to the stability of African competitions," the statement added.
Senegal's football authorities said they will appeal "as soon as possible" to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision, which brings African football into disrepute," it said in a statement.
Chaotic scenes
Minutes before the end of the match, some Senegalese supporters attempted a pitch invasion, while Senegal's players halted the game for nearly 20 minutes to protest the late penalty awarded to Morocco.
The controversial spot-kick was awarded by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala right at the end of the allotted eight added minutes in normal time following a VAR check for a challenge on Brahim Diaz by El Hadji Malick Diouf.
The game was goalless at the time and Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with the spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time.
But Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted 'Panenka' chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
The game at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium then went to extra time, and Gueye's brilliant 94th-minute strike won it for Senegal.
Several of the team's players posted on social media after the announcement that they had been stripped of the title.
Defender Moussa Niakhate, who plays for French club Lyon, posted a picture of himself lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy with a message that said "they're mad", in an apparent reference to CAF.
In the immediate aftermath of the final, FIFA president Gianni Infantino had condemned "some Senegal players" for the "unacceptable scenes".
"It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right," Infantino, who attended the match, said.
In late January, CAF imposed a series of disciplinary sanctions, including fines amounting to several hundred thousand euros, on the federations of both countries for unsportsmanlike conduct and violations of fair play principles.
The appeal trial of 18 Senegalese supporters, imprisoned since the final and sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to one year for "hooliganism," which was scheduled to take place on Monday, has been postponed until March 30.
- Agence-France Presse
Monday, 26 January 2026
Tuesday, 20 January 2026
'FAIR PLAY' MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT | PEPE THIAW | SALUTE 🫡
CAF needs to be accountable for the poor officiating of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Morocco 25 was one of the best AFCON displays of amazing and high level soccer talent only to be stained by 'bias' and poor officiating.
One man made a bold statement for the injustices that have pegged the tournament.
Salute 🫡 Pepe Thiaw for standing up!
Kudos Senegal 🇸🇳
Monday, 19 January 2026
'SHAMEFUL': HOW CONTROVERSIAL AFCON FINAL DESCENDED INTO TOTAL CHAOS
Senegal players stormed off the pitch after last-gasp penalty award before returning to beat Morocco in extra time
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| MAYHEM: THE AFCON FINAL BETWEEN MOROCCO AND SENEGAL WILL LIVE LONG IN THE MEMORY - FOR THE WRONG REASONS AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES |
A missed Panenka in the 24th minute of stoppage time, a team storming off the pitch and ultimately a second Africa Cup of Nations title for Senegal.
That, though, barely scratches the surface in telling the story of a truly extraordinary AFCON final on Sunday night.
Pape Gueye scored a brilliant extra-time winner to leave Morocco devastated in front of their home fans in Rabat.
Either side of that strike, total chaos ensued. Here’s what happened - and all the fallout.
Senegal goal ruled out
For 90 minutes, it had been a typical cagey, tense final. It remained goalless heading into eight minutes of stoppage time, at which point the mayhem began.
Senegal thought they had won it when Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr nodded into the net on the rebound after Abdoulaye Seck's header had hit the woodwork.
However, the whistle had already gone as the referee deemed Seck to have fouled Achraf Hakimi.
Replays showed that to be a harsh decision, with Hakimi going down under minimal contact, but the quick whistle meant that VAR could not intervene.
Morocco lucky to get penalty
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| DRAMA: BRAHIM DIAZ’S LAST-GASP PANENKA PENALTY ATTEMPT WAS EASILY SAVED BY EDOUARD MENDY AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES |
A few minutes later, Morocco won a corner of their own at the other end.
West Ham’s El Hadji Malick Diouf headed to safety, having beaten Brahim Diaz to the ball. Diaz went down theatrically and appealed for a penalty.
The referee was sent to the pitchside monitor for a VAR review and then gave the penalty, deciding that Diouf had dragged Diaz to the ground before clearing the ball.
Chaos on and off the pitch
The two benches were already clashing as the referee went to the screen and that escalated when he then pointed to the spot.
Ismaila Sarr was booked for dissent and the Senegal players did not leave the penalty area as they continued to protest the decision.
Senegal's supporter group were sat at the other end of the stadium but they began jumping over the hoardings. Others threw chairs at stewards.
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| SENEGAL FANS CLASH WITH SECURITY DURING THE AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS FINAL AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES |
Riot police arrived on the scene and dragged several supporters away as clashes continued between fans and security personnel.
Gary Lineker was in the stadium and said it had "all got very horribly violent".
Senegal players walk off
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw was incensed by the decision to award a penalty and waved at his players to come off the pitch in response.
The match was delayed for around 17 minutes as a result, with Sadio Mane having to go down the tunnel to urge his team-mates to come back on.
It appeared to be in doubt whether Senegal would return, but eventually the decision was made to continue the match.
Mane said after the game: "The referee can sometimes make mistakes, but we don’t know.
“We’re in the game and people judge. It could have been a penalty or not, but that wasn’t the most important thing. The most important thing was the people who were watching.
“I think that would convey a negative image of our football. I think Africa today does not deserve that.”
Diaz fluffs his lines
It was the 114th minute of the match by the time Diaz finally got his chance to step up and take the penalty.
On his return to the pitch, Edouard Mendy was booked for seemingly scuffing the spot. The ex-Chelsea goalkeeper then walked up and stood over the ball as Diaz waited to take the penalty.
Had he converted it, Diaz would have been a Moroccan legend forever. Instead, he attempted a Panenka and watched in horror as Mendy stood still and made the easiest save of his life.
Battle for a towel
Yehvann Diouf had a busy night and did not play a single minute.
The Senegal goalkeeper was tasked with protecting Mendy's towel in wet, slippery conditions. It turned into an extraordinary sequence of events.
The Moroccan ball boys repeatedly tried to snatch the towel away from him. In one incident, Diouf was lying on his stomach with the towel underneath him as a ball boy dragged him by the back of his coat.
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| SENEGAL COACH PAPE THIAW ORDERED HIS PLAYERS OFF THE PITCH IN REMARKABLE SCENES AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES |
Diouf was eventually chased down the touchline, backpedaling as several people chased after him.
Hakimi threw another one of Mendy's towels over the advertising hoardings, with El Hadji Malick Diouf jumping over the barrier to retrieve it.
How the managers reacted
Morocco boss Walid Regragui was unsurprisingly scathing in his response to Senegal storming off the pitch. He hit out at counterpart Thiaw.
“The image we’ve given of Africa is shameful," Regragui said.
"A coach who asks his players to leave the field... what Pape did does not honour Africa.”
Thiaw walked into his press conference and was met by cheers from Senegalese journalists and boos from the Moroccan press.
Arguments broke out between them as Thiaw sat down waiting, before he decided to walk out without speaking as the confrontations continued.
Elsewhere, Thiaw said sorry for leading his players off the pitch.
"I apologise for the football,” he said. “After reflecting on it I made them come back [on the pitch] - you can react in the heat of the moment. We accept the errors of the referee.
“We shouldn't have done it but it's done and now we present our apologies to football."
What else has been said?
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right.”
CAF released a statement on Monday morning in response to the various incidents, with punishments on the way.
It read: "The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) condemns the unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night.
"CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behaviour which occurs during matches, especially those targeting the refereeing team or match organizers.
"CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty."
- MATT VERRI
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