The President of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), Abdoulaye Fall, has revealed that tensions and a breakdown in trust between the federation and coach Pape Thiaw contributed to the team’s difficult World Cup campaign.
Thiaw was sacked on Sunday after Senegal were eliminated in the last 32 by Belgium on July 1, ending his time as national team coach.
Speaking at a press conference in Dakar on Monday, Fall said the relationship between the federation and the 45-year-old former Senegal international had deteriorated before and during the tournament.
“There was a breakdown in trust between Pape Thiaw and us,” Fall said.
He explained that the dispute began after Thiaw requested a salary increase before the World Cup, which created tension around the team.
Thiaw had been earning 20 million CFA francs monthly but demanded an increase before the tournament. The federation eventually reached an agreement with him for a World Cup payment package of 30 million CFA francs, alongside a resolution on other issues, including bonuses.
Fall revealed that Thiaw at one point threatened not to travel to the World Cup if his demands were not met, but Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye intervened and convinced him to join the team on the day of departure.
The federation president added that the final contract agreement was only completed on the eve of Senegal’s second group match against Norway after Thiaw refused to sit on the bench until the matter was resolved.
According to Fall, Thiaw’s belief that federation officials were against him affected the team’s operations.
“He believed the federation officials were his enemies, and this impacted the national team’s operations,” Fall said.
Senegal’s World Cup campaign was inconsistent, with the Teranga Lions suffering defeats against France and Norway before recovering with a dominant 5-0 victory over Iraq to qualify for the knockout stage.
Thiaw, who took charge of the national team in 2024, had previously guided Senegal to an Africa Cup of Nations final victory in January. However, the country was later stripped of the title as punishment after players walked off the pitch during a chaotic final against Morocco.
Despite his earlier success, the federation decided to part ways with him following the World Cup disappointment and internal disagreements.
