Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has announced he is taking a break from international football, saying he will not represent the Teranga Lions for as long as head coach Pape Thiaw remains in charge.
According to Vanguard, the 27-year-old made the announcement on social media after Senegal’s dramatic 3-2 extra-time defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In a post written in French, Gueye said he would address the team’s elimination at a later time but made his position on the coaching staff clear.
“I’ll 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.”
Senegal looked set to reach the quarter-finals after first-half goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr gave them a 2-0 lead.
However, Belgium staged a remarkable comeback as Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans scored to force extra time before Tielemans converted a penalty in the 125th minute, awarded after a VAR review, to complete a 3-2 victory.
The defeat ended Senegal’s hopes of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since their memorable debut campaign in 2002.
Gueye’s decision has increased pressure on Thiaw, whose substitutions while protecting the two-goal advantage were heavily criticised after the match.
Defending his decisions, the Senegal coach said fatigue, not tactics, prompted the changes.
“They were tired and couldn’t continue. Leaving them on the field would have been unprofessional on our part. We had to replace them like for like,” Thiaw said.
“Of course, when you lose a match after leading 2-0, people will talk about the substitutions. But you can’t reduce everything to that. These changes were dictated primarily by fatigue rather than tactical considerations.”
