Following Senegal’s heartbreaking elimination from the World Cup, where the team surrendered a 2-0 lead in the 85th minute to lose 2-3 against Belgium after a contentious 125th-minute penalty, midfielder Pape Gueye, currently playing for Villarreal in Spain, has declared he will be taking a “break” from the national team until the current technical staff is replaced.
“I will return to say a few words about this elimination… but I am announcing today that as long as this technical staff is in place, I will take a break from the national team,” Gueye stated on Instagram after the match. The 27-year-old scored two goals against Iraq in the group stage but was substituted by coach Pape Thiaw in the 66th minute, a decision he contested as he felt he was in peak physical condition.
Under Pape Thiaw’s guidance, Senegal narrowly missed out on significant footballing success, only to be deprived of victory in the most brutal fashion. In addition to this arguably undeserved World Cup exit, the incident that has marred the team is the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to strip them of their Africa Cup of Nations title, won in January. While they had won the match, a 17-minute protest during which players walked off the field in protest of another controversial penalty led to a review.
In March, CAF ruled that the Senegalese players had violated the regulations, resulting in the match being declared null and void, with Morocco being awarded the victory. Senegal is currently awaiting the outcome of an appeal lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.