Dakar: Former Arsenal and Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira has been named as the new national team football coach of Senegal, replacing Pape Thiaw. Vieira was born in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, but represented France on the international stage and in 1998 was part of the first French side to lift a World Cup.
According to Ghana Web, the 50-year-old takes over from Thiaw, who led Senegal to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, which was subsequently stripped from them and handed to Morocco following a mid-game walk-off by Senegalese players and staff. Thiaw faced heavy criticism for his team's Round of 32 exit at the FIFA World Cup 2026, confirmed by a 3-2 defeat by Belgium, leading to his dismissal.
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) announced on social media that Vieira's appointment is a 'strategic move' aiming to 'establish a high-level technical set-up, in line with our country's sporting ambitions'. Vieira, who began his playing career in France at Cannes, had a successful spell in Serie A with AC Milan before moving to the Premier League with Arsenal under Arsene Wenger.
Vieira won three Premier League titles with Arsenal between 1996 and 2005, before joining Juventus and later signing for Inter Milan. He concluded his playing career at Manchester City in 2011. Vieira's international success with France includes being part of the Euro 2000 winning side and earning over 100 caps for his adopted country.
Vieira began his coaching career in Major League Soccer with New York City FC in 2016, before returning to France with Nice in 2018. After a two-year stint in the English Premier League with Crystal Palace, Vieira had one-year spells with Strasbourg and Genoa. The FSF statement on X mentioned that the date of Vieira's official presentation and the next steps in his installation will be announced.
Senegal is set to compete in the 2027 AFCON Qualifiers during the upcoming FIFA international window from September 21 to October 6, 2026. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has yet to release the schedule for the groups, but Senegal has been drawn against Mozambique, Sudan, and Ethiopia. The Lions of Teranga continue to seek reinstatement of their 2025 AFCON title by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against CAF's decision to award the title to Morocco.