Things have gone from bad to worse for the Senegal football team. After a heartbreaking World Cup exit where they threw away a sure-shot win in the last five minutes, a star player has openly revolted against the management, declaring he’s taking a break from the team.
The Senegal football team is facing a major internal crisis. This comes right after their dramatic Round of 32 loss to Belgium in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Midfielder Pape Gueye has announced that he will not play for the Senegal national team as long as the current coaching staff is in charge.
He declared this temporary retirement after Senegal lost a match they were all set to win, showing his clear unhappiness with the team management.
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Gueye Expresses Disappointment
Right after the match, Pape Gueye took to his Instagram account to call out the coaches.
“I will come back later to talk about this World Cup elimination. But for now, I am announcing that I am taking a break from the national team as long as the current technical staff (coaches) remain in their positions,” Gueye wrote.
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Gueye, who is 27 and currently plays for the Spanish club Villarreal, was the Man of the Match in Senegal’s 5-0 group stage win against Iraq, where he scored two goals. However, he did not directly mention head coach Pape Thiaw’s name in his post.
Tactical Error Knocked Senegal Out of the World Cup
In the match against Belgium held in Seattle, USA, Senegal was comfortably leading 2-0 until the 51st minute with goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr. Just when it looked like they had secured their spot in the pre-quarterfinals, things started to go wrong for the African giants. The team’s rhythm was disrupted after the coach substituted Pape Gueye, who was in great form, in the 64th minute.
Belgium made a stunning comeback with goals from Romelu Lukaku in the 86th minute and Youri Tielemans in the 89th minute. Then, in the injury time of extra time (125th minute), Tielemans scored a penalty, sealing a 3-2 victory for Belgium. This is now the latest winning goal in World Cup history.
A Year of Controversies: A Tough Time for Senegal
This has been a year full of controversies for Senegalese football. Back in January, during the African Cup of Nations tournament, Senegal thought they had defended their title against Morocco with a goal from Gueye. However, in an unprecedented turn of events, they lost the title after a major legal battle.
During that tournament in Morocco, coach Pape Thiaw walked off the field with his team after the referee awarded a penalty to Morocco in injury time. This stopped the game for about 15 minutes. The match eventually resumed, and the Senegalese goalkeeper saved the penalty.
But after the game, the African Football Confederation’s disciplinary action declared that Senegal had forfeited the match for stopping play. Coach Thiaw was also banned for 5 matches. Senegal is currently waiting for an appeal they filed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. In the middle of all this, the dramatic World Cup exit and the team’s internal conflicts have put African football in a tough spot once again.
Although Senegal set a record by becoming the first African nation to score 10 goals in this tournament, the internal fighting has definitely taken the shine off their achievements.
Also Read: Tension in Senegal camp as Pape Gueye quits after Belgium heartbreak