The President of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) announced on Monday that the national team was engulfed in a tense atmosphere during the FIFA World Cup. This situation arose from a fierce dispute over the contract with head coach Pape Thiaw.
Pape Thiaw was dismissed on Sunday following the dramatic exit of the 'Lions of Teranga' from the group stage round of 32 against Belgium on July 1st. FSF President Abdoulaye Fall stated at a press conference in Dakar that there was a complete breakdown of trust between Pape Thiaw and the federation, citing the toxic environment created by the coach's demands for a significant salary increase.
The 45-year-old former Senegalese national team player, who took charge of the national team in 2024, allegedly demanded to increase his monthly salary from 20 million CFA francs (approximately $583,000 USD) to 50 million CFA francs (approximately $1,451,227 USD) before the team departed for the tournament.
Despite the parties eventually reaching an agreement on a monthly payment of 30 million CFA francs during the event, and resolving long-standing disagreements regarding bonuses for players and staff, the negotiations themselves took place under intense pressure. According to Fall, Thiaw came close to threatening a complete boycott of the tournament.
Ultimately, the personal intervention of Senegalese President Bassir Diomaye Faye helped persuade the tactician to board the plane on the scheduled departure day for the United States. The administrative chaos did not cease: Fall revealed that the new contract was only signed the day before the Senegalese national team's second group stage match against Norway, as Thiaw categorically refused to take a spot on the bench until the documents were processed.
Fall expressed regret, noting that Thiaw behaved as if the federation officials were his enemies, which directly affected the daily work of the national team. This off-field turmoil was reflected on the pitch: the 'Lions of Teranga' had a very unconvincing campaign, suffering defeats in the group stage against France and Norway. Only a convincing 5-0 victory over Iraq allowed them to advance to the playoffs as one of the best teams in Group Three.
Under Thiaw's leadership, Senegal had previously won the African Nations Championship trophy in January, but subsequently lost the continental title dramatically as punishment for leaving the field in protest during the chaotic final against Morocco.
