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Senegal’s football federation president expressed sadness over the departure of Aliou Cissé, the coach who led the team to its first Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, after nearly a decade in charge.
Cissé’s contract expired in August, but he continued for the 2025 Afcon qualifiers before being dismissed by the sports ministry, which cited a failure to meet objectives like advancing in the 2023 Afcon and 2022 World Cup.
Despite his exit, Cissé remains committed to supporting Senegalese football, and Pape Thiaw, his former assistant, has overseen the remaining Afcon qualifiers. Thiaw’s record as interim head coach stands at 4 wins in 4 matches, securing Senegal’s qualification for the 2025 Afcon with two matches to spare.
“We said ‘We’ll do Aliou without Aliou – he’s not here, but he’s here. Every time you are on the bench, think that Aliou is with you,’” explained FSF president Augustin Senghor in an interview with BBC Sport Africa. The federation plans to appoint a new coach before March 2025.
