To replace Aliou Cissé at the head of the national selection, the Senegalese Football Federation (Fsf) did not look far. She set her sights on Pape Thiaw. The winner of the last African Nations Championship (Chan) took advantage of the interim period entrusted to him after the departure of El Tactico to show his know-how. His record of four victories in as many matches, combined with his management style, made the difference against competitors like Habib Bèye and Omar Daf. From now on, Pape Thiaw will have to show that he has the necessary skills to succeed in the challenge that awaits him. Decryption of Soleil des Sports.
Exit Aliou Cissé, welcome Pope Thiaw. After ten years at the head of the national team, El Tactico handed over the reins. And it is on his temporary worker that the Senegalese Federation has set its sights. In the race to lead the destiny of the Senegal national team, Pape Thiaw had taken a big lead over his competitors. Interim during the last four matches of the Senegal national team, counting for the Can 2025 qualifiers, the touch of the former coach of the local “Lions” and winner of the last Chan was felt; whether against Malawi (4-0, 1-0), Burkina Faso (1-0) and Burundi (2-0). Pape Thiaw has convinced more than one; including the Fsf which confirmed him at the head of the “Lions”, preferring to rely on local expertise. More than 23 years after his first selection for the Senegal national team, against Uganda, the young 43-year-old coach will now lead his own players from the sidelines. And his experience as a former Senegalese international will be favorable to him. Badara Sarr believes that Pape Thiaw has broad enough shoulders to lead the “Lair”.
For the former Customs and Casa Sports coach, Pape Thiaw really has what it takes to lead this selection. “During his interim period, he had to make 4 victories in as many matches. And not against small adversaries. It must be said that Burkina Faso was one of them. The fact of having won four matches in a row and having scored 8 goals sufficiently proves his qualities,” he says. Doctor Mohamed Ghandour was one of the first observers to want Pape Thiaw to remain on the national team bench. According to him, Pape Thiaw is first of all a legitimate choice and then a choice in the continuity and intelligence of the management of the Senegal group. “We are not going to say that the facts proved me right, but I think that since Pape Thiaw took office, we have seen another Senegal team that is much more offensive, more daring. Against Malawi, Burundi and Burkina Faso, I think Senegal was much more daring and offensive. We had a much more playful team. There was also the defensive stability that Pape Thiaw brought,” he explained.
THE NIARRY TALLY EXPERIENCE AND THE SACRE AT CHAN
Very discreet off the pitch, Pape Thiaw doesn’t make waves. But on the pitch, in the green rectangle, he knew how to take responsibility. Which perhaps pushed him to embrace the coaching profession. Without skipping steps, the former player from Lausanne, Switzerland, started at the bottom of the ladder by taking the reins of the Niarry Tally-Grand Dakar-Biscuiterie team in 2018. The learning process is complicated. Due to poor results, Ngb flirts with relegation. Pape Thiaw is finally thanked. This failure, far from having weakened the wings of the former Metz player, instilled in him the demands of the high level. He was then propelled to the head of the local national team after the death of Joseph Koto. What seemed like a poisoned chalice allowed the former “Lion” to succeed where several of his predecessors had failed. Thiaw had the difficult task of qualifying Senegal for Chan 2022 after 11 years of absence. The mission was successful against Guinea.
In the final phase, many did not give much for the skin of the local “Lions”; especially since the Senegalese championship was far from being a reference in Africa. But the Senegalese technician had instilled a winning mentality in his men. They defied all odds to reach the final and beat Algeria supported by tens of thousands of supporters. After the missed shot on goal by Kendouci, synonymous with the coronation for Senegal, Pape Thiaw, before releasing his emotions, first prostrated himself on the pitch. A humility which is one of the qualities of the technician. This humility continued to elevate him among his peers and propel him to the top. Having handed over the local national team to Souleymane Diallo, Pape Thiaw was recruited into Aliou Cissé’s staff in March 2024. He continues his high-level training and rubs shoulders with the players of the national team. In August 2024, he takes the place of Régis Bogaert as assistant coach.
At the same time, the rating of the African champion, Aliou Cissé, was crumbling with the elimination of Senegal at the Can in Ivory Coast, mixed results in the qualifiers for the Can 2025 and in the Cup of world 2026. The partnership with the former captain of the “Lions” ends on October 2, 2024. Pape Thiaw is logically chosen to continue the CAN qualifiers. With him, the mayonnaise seems to have taken hold. During 4 meetings, the performances of the band at Sadio Mané, under the hands considered “inexpert” for some of Pape Thiaw, were observed closely. Senegal crushes Malawi (4-0) in Dakar before winning narrowly in Lilongwe on a free kick from Sadio Mané in the dying seconds. The “Lions” show a brighter face by beating Burkina Faso (1-0) in Mali to take the lead in Group L, before completing the qualifiers with a success over Burundi (2-0). In these latest meetings, improvements have been noted in the much-maligned play of the 2021 African champions. The players, as if liberated by Pape Thiaw’s speech, seem more motivated.
CAN 2025 AND WORLD OBJECTIVE
2026 Some players transform into 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-3. And players like Habib Diarra, Cheikh Tidiane Sabaly… impress. For Badara Sarr, Pape Thiaw, who arrived at a complicated time, managed to do well. “The team was going through a fairly delicate period. Confidence was starting to lack around the team, especially among the spectators. Pape Thiaw brought back confidence. He allowed the players to express themselves and was able to bring back the system that suits this selection,” he confides.
Doctor Mohamed Ghandour believes that Pape Thiaw has enormous qualities that he can put to the service of the national team. “He will bring knowledge of the environment since he was there as assistant to Aliou Cissé. He knows the realities of local and international football since he was professional and played away. He has a speech that unites, which passes through to executive level, and it is very important for the cohesion and the results that we have been able to obtain,” he believes he knows. Pape Thiaw brilliantly carried out the interim role entrusted to him. He achieved a full success: four matches, four victories, eight goals scored and none conceded.
Satisfaction on both a collective and individual level was recorded, pushing the Executive Committee of the Senegalese Football Federation (Fsf) to confirm him at the post on Friday, December 13, to continue his mission. A target contract was thus set for him. The technician will have the difficult task of qualifying Senegal for the 2026 World Cup which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Time is running out, because the qualifiers resume in March 2025. The other objective assigned to Pape Thiaw will be to raise Senegal once again to the roof of Africa by winning the Can 2025 scheduled for December 21, 2025 to January 18 2026, in Morocco.
Objectives which are far from being beyond the reach of the new coach of the “Lions” whose coaching has, according to Badara Sarr, borne fruit insofar as it has allowed players to play in their real positions and achieve thus convincing performances. “He brought back this serenity. He made the players play in their positions and allowed them to regain the fullness of their means, to be able to express themselves,” he says. The first meeting of the new “Lions” coach will be in March 2025, with two meetings against Sudan and Togo in matches counting for the 5th and 6th days of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
By Julien Mbesse SÈNE
