Senegal: after the dismissal of Pape Thiaw, the race to succeed him is on

A record far from catastrophic

On paper, Pape Thiaw’s record is far from shameful: in nearly two years at the helm of the team, he boasts 20 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses in 29 matches, and won the AFCON against Morocco last January, pending the final verdict from the CAS. He also led Senegal to qualification for this 2026 World Cup as early as October 2025.

But the American campaign turned into a fiasco: defeats against France (3-1) and Norway (3-2) in the group stage, qualification snatched thanks to a large victory over Iraq (5-0), then elimination now described as "incomprehensible" by the Senegalese press against the Belgians. All against a backdrop of internal tensions: Thiaw came to the World Cup without a renewed contract and with several months of unpaid wages, a situation he publicly denounced a few days before the competition.

The president of the FSF, Abdoulaye Fall, is scheduled to hold a press conference this Monday to detail the reasons for the dismissal.

Three profiles, three different approaches

No successor has yet been made official, but the Senegalese and French press are repeatedly mentioning three names.

Patrick Vieira is the most talked-about candidate, especially as reported by L'Équipe. Born in Dakar, the former captain of Les Bleus co-founded the Diambars academy, which has trained several Senegalese internationals including Idrissa Gana Gueye. But his coaching career (New York City, Nice, Crystal Palace, Strasbourg, Genoa) remains inconsistent, and he has been without a club since leaving Genoa in November 2025. Moreover, he has never managed a national team, making him more of a gamble than a sure thing in the eyes of several observers.

Hervé Renard, for his part, embodies security: considerable experience in African football and with national teams. His profile is seen as solid, but his cost could pose a budget problem for a federation already weakened by the chaotic financial management of the Thiaw era.

Habib Beye, just dismissed by OM, is probably the name generating the most popular enthusiasm. A former captain of the Lions, he represents a generation of modern coaches, knows the Senegalese locker room perfectly, and enjoys strong popularity among supporters.

A fourth name has also been circulating insistently in recent hours: that of Omar Daf, presented by some Senegalese media as the leading candidate, mainly for budgetary reasons in light of Renard’s financial demands. However, the latter has just signed with Congo as assistant to Claude Le Roy.

A broader project than just picking a coach

Several voices, including that of goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, remind us that Senegal’s difficulties at this World Cup went beyond the sole issue of the coach: contract disputes, bonuses, internal tensions, and organizational problems all marked this campaign. Changing the coach alone will probably not be enough to revive a momentum that the Federation now wishes to rebuild in its entirety.

The decision is expected in the coming weeks.