Pape Gueye suspends international career to demand Senegal coaching staff departure

Pape Gueye announced his withdrawal from the Senegal national team following the Lions of Teranga’s elimination by Belgium (3-2 after extra time), directly targeting head coach Pape Thiaw and his staff.

The midfielder posted an unequivocal message on Instagram: “I will come back to tell you a few things about the elimination. But I announce today that as long as it’s this coaching staff, I will take a break from the national team.” A radical stance, directly linked to his early substitution during the match, when he was replaced by Lamine Camara shortly after the hour mark.

Gueye was keen to clarify that he suffered no physical problems at the time of his withdrawal: “I was fine physically. In the end, it’s the coach who decides… It’s a matter of respect.” Words that sound like a public rebuke of the head coach.

The context makes the crisis all the more painful. Senegal led 2-0 with five minutes remaining in regular time before collapsing, conceding two goals in three minutes and then a third in the final seconds of extra time. The substitutions made by Pape Thiaw in the second half were immediately questioned, including by Rudi Garcia, who was harsh with his counterpart.

Facing criticism, the head coach defended his choices by citing player fatigue: “At times, we had physical problems, so there were players who were tired, who couldn’t go any further. We were forced to make changes. Once you lose, you can’t say it was worth it because we did have the advantage. Now, that’s it, you have to accept it, that’s football.”

The response apparently did not convince Gueye, whose public outburst places the Senegal Football Federation in a delicate position: support its head coach or attempt to defuse a crisis that risks damaging the team ahead of upcoming international fixtures.