Pape Gueye Announces Break from Senegal Squad Under Coach Pape Thiaw
Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has declared he will step away from international football for as long as head coach Pape Thiaw remains in charge of the Teranga Lions.
In a French‑language post, Gueye said he would elaborate on the team’s elimination later, but made it clear he would not continue under the current technical staff.
He wrote, “I’ll return to discuss our elimination, but today I announce that as long as this technical staff remains, I will take a break from the national team.”
Senegal had looked set for a quarter‑final place after first‑half goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr gave them a 2‑0 lead.
Belgium fought back late, with Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans scoring to force extra time.
Tielemans then converted a penalty in the 125th minute after a VAR review, sealing a dramatic 3‑2 victory for Belgium.
The loss ended Senegal’s hopes of recording their first World Cup knockout‑stage win since reaching the quarter‑finals on their tournament debut in 2002.
Gueye’s decision has intensified pressure on Thiaw, whose substitutions while Senegal were defending a two‑goal advantage have drawn criticism from fans and pundits.
Reacting after the match, Thiaw defended his choices, saying the changes were forced by fatigue, not tactical error.
“They were tired and couldn’t continue. Leaving them on the field would have been unprofessional on our part. We had to replace them like‑for‑like,” the coach said.
He added, “Of course, when you lose a match after leading 2‑0, people will talk about the substitutions. But you can’t reduce everything to that. These changes were dictated primarily by fatigue rather than tactical considerations.”
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