Senegal’s national Football coach Pape Thiaw’s functions were revoked in the night from Sunday to Monday. The decision is “in the best interests of Senegalese football”, according to the Senegalese Football Federation. His time with the Teranga Lions (The Senegalese Male National Football Team) has come to an end – perhaps sooner than expected.
Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s national coach, was dismissed from his role during the night from Sunday to Monday after Senegal’s exit from the 2026 World Cup.
Senegal had made it to the round of 32 after triumphantly beating Iraq 5-0, but lost 3 to 2 to Belgium in a dramatic match. The Senegalese Football Federation said that Thiaw’s dismissal was “in the best interests of Senegalese football”.
Thiaw had managed the team since December 2024. He was notably in the midst of a scandal during last year’s AFCON edition, in which Senegal was stripped of its winning title after the players briefly left the field at Thiaw’s demand.
Who is Pape Thiaw?
Pape Bouna Thiaw (born 5 February 1981) is a Senegalese football manager and a former player who played as a forward. He most recently served as the head coach of the Senegal national football team.
He played for several clubs in France, Switzerland and Spain, as well as Dynamo Moscow in Russia on a six-month loan from Strasbourg.
He played for Senegal national football team and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He scored 5 goals for his country.
In 2008, while playing for US Créteil in France, Thiaw was reported to have been placed under a mandat de dépôt (detention warrant) in connection with a domestic violence case. French media reported that he was tried in absentia and accused of breaking his wife’s nose, facing a potential one year prison sentence. He did not appear at the hearing, resulting in an arrest warrant and a firm one year sentence.
Thiaw, 45, initially made a name for himself as a player, most notably delivering the iconic assist for the “Golden Goal” against Sweden that propelled Senegal to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup. His club career included stints in France, Spain, and Switzerland.
Thiaw was the manager of the Senegal A’ national team that won the 2022 African Nations Championship. African Nations Championship limits the squads to players from the domestic league. The main Senegal squad that participates in the FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations and includes players from the foreign clubs was managed by Aliou Cissé. Thiaw was appointed coach of the Senegal national football team on 13 December 2024, following the latter dismissal two month before.
In October 2025, he led Senegal to qualify to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In January 2026, Thiaw coached Senegal to at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. During the AFCON final, he urged his players to leave the field in protest after the referee awarded Morocco a penalty in stoppage time, which prompted disciplinary proceedings against him after the match. This led to him being banned for five games and fined $100,000 for “unsporting conduct” and “bringing the game into disrepute” by the Confederation of African Football. He led Senegal to reach the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup before they were eliminated by Belgium in a 2–1 defeat after extra time. He was subsequently dismissed along with his coaching staff following the tournament.
Additional Sources: Africa News, Wikipedia
