Senegal’s Pape Gueye suspends international career, cites differences with coaching staff

Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has announced an indefinite break from international football, declaring that he will not represent the Teranga Lions for as long as head coach Pape Thiaw and his technical crew remain in charge.

The 27-year-old made the announcement on social media in the aftermath of Senegal’s heartbreaking elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following a dramatic 3-2 extra-time defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16.

In a message posted in French, Gueye said he would speak later about the circumstances surrounding Senegal’s exit but insisted that he could no longer continue under the current coaching setup.

“I will come back to speak about our elimination, but today I announce that as long as this technical staff remains, I will take a break from the national team,” he wrote.

Senegal appeared to be cruising into the quarter-finals after establishing a two-goal advantage through first-half strikes from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr.

However, Belgium mounted a remarkable comeback as Romelu Lukaku pulled one back before Youri Tielemans equalised late in regulation time to force extra time.

The decisive moment came in the closing stages of extra time when Belgium were awarded a penalty after a VAR review, allowing Tielemans to complete the turnaround with his second goal of the match and seal a 3-2 victory.

The defeat ended Senegal’s hopes of matching or surpassing their historic run to the quarter-finals at the 2002 World Cup.

Gueye’s announcement is expected to increase scrutiny of Thiaw, whose tactical decisions, particularly his substitutions after Senegal had taken a commanding lead, have been heavily criticised by supporters and football analysts.

Reacting to the criticism after the match, Thiaw defended his decisions, insisting the changes were forced by the physical condition of his players rather than tactical miscalculations.

“The players we substituted were exhausted and couldn’t continue. Keeping them on the pitch would have been irresponsible. We simply replaced them with players in the same positions,” he said.

“I understand people will question the substitutions after losing from a 2-0 lead, but it is unfair to blame everything on those decisions. Fatigue was the main factor behind the changes, not tactics.”