Vieira accepts €53,000 per month to manage Senegal, well below his initial demand

Patrick Vieira was officially appointed Senegal manager on Tuesday, succeeding Pape Thiaw, who was removed following a disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign marked by poor on-field performance and internal chaos. According to journalist Khadim Diakhaté, the two parties concluded a salary agreement of €53,000 per month, far from the €100,000 initially demanded by the coach.

The Senegalese Federation wished to maintain the envelope paid to his predecessor, approximately €45,000 monthly. A compromise was eventually reached, with Vieira making a significant concession from his initial demand.

Born in Dakar before leaving Senegal at age 7 for Trappes, the 1998 World Cup winner and 2000 European Championship winner with France is thus making a return to his roots. Trained at FC Dreux, Tours FC and AS Cannes, he later wore the French shirt 107 times, including nine seasons as Arsenal captain (1996–2005).

His coaching career, however, remains unconvincing. Vieira left no lasting mark at OGC Nice or Crystal Palace, and his two most recent experiences — at RC Strasbourg and Genoa — ended in failure.

At 50, he inherits a squad that must first qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from June 19 to July 17. The Lions of Teranga begin their qualifiers in late September with two matches against Mozambique, before facing Sudan in November and Ethiopia in March 2027. Sadio Mané, 34, may not feature in the new manager’s plans. Winning the Africa Cup of Nations is Vieira’s stated objective with the national team.