Pape Gueye announces Senegal boycott amidst coaching staff dispute after World Cup exit
Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has walked out on international duty, triggering a major dispute with head coach Pape Thiaw. The Villarreal star has announced he will step away from the national squad while the current technical staff remains in charge, following their dramatic 3-2 FIFA World Cup elimination at the hands of Belgium.
The 27-year-old dropped the news on social media after the African nation was left reeling from their World Cup exit. Senegal surrendered a two-goal advantage, conceding twice in just two-and-a-half minutes late on during their Round of 32 game against Belgium, ultimately falling 3-2 in extra-time.
Habiib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr had given Senegal a commanding lead, with the Lions of Teranga seemingly on course for a Round of 16 showdown with the U.S. Men’s National Team on Monday. However, Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans hauled Rudi Garcia’s side back into contention, before the Aston Villa star won and converted a crucial 125th-minute penalty, as per The Mirror.
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Taking to his Instagram story, Gueye stated: “l’Il be back to give you a few words regarding elimination… but l announce today that as long as it’s this technical staff l’II take a break from the selection.”
Gueye had been substituted shortly after the hour mark, with Senegal still holding their two-goal cushion, as Thiaw introduced Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara from the bench.
In the closing 10 minutes, the game came alive when Romelu Lukaku guided the ball home from a narrow angle to cut the margin. Before Senegal could fully recover from seeing their cushion trimmed, they found themselves on equal terms as Tielemans headed in Leandro Trossard’s delivery.
Belgium had been outplayed and thoroughly dominated by Senegal before the opportunity arose for an unlikely comeback. A penalty kick deep into the second half of extra-time, granted following video assistant referee involvement, enabled Tielemans to seal the comeback for Garcia’s squad.
After the loss, Thiaw said: “We just lost a match that was really important to us. We wanted to qualify for the Senegalese people, we thought we deserved it, but unfortunately, we are eliminated.
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“I am sad, the players are sad too, because they really wanted this qualification.”
Gueye, who netted twice in the 5-0 triumph over Iraq, was substituted by Camara shortly past the hour mark. The 45-year-old indicated that certain changes were necessitated after players requested the manager withdraw them.
Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye and Sunderland’s Habib Diarra were withdrawn during the second half prior to Belgium’s comeback, while Sadio Mane and Idrissa Gana Gueye were both removed in extra-time.
Thiaw said: “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.
“Of course, when you lose a match after leading 2-0, people inevitably talk about the substitutes. But you can’t reduce everything to that. These changes were primarily dictated by fatigue, more than by tactical considerations.”
Belgium will face the USMNT in the next round after Mauricio Pochettino’s team defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. Star forward Florian Balogun experienced both extremes at Levi’s Stadium, finding the net before receiving his marching orders, but Malik Tillman sealed their advancement eight minutes from the final whistle with a stunning free kick.
Wednesday’s elimination represents the latest controversy in what has been a turbulent few months for Senegalese soccer after Thiaw led his players off the field during their memorable Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco. Senegal had conceded a stoppage-time penalty to the hosts, prompting the coach to pull his team from the pitch in protest at the decision.
When the game restarted, Senegal shocked Morocco in extra-time to claim a historic victory, but since then, they have been ruled to have forfeited the match for abandoning the field during regulation time.
