Senegal’s national team will now be coached by an all-Senegalese duo. Pape Bouna Thiaw, former coach of the local side, has been appointed as Aliou Cissé’s assistant for the senior team, replacing Frenchman Régis Bogaert, the Senegalese Football Federation announced on Tuesday.
Cissé, who led Senegal to their first-ever African Cup of Nations (AfCON) title in 2021, has a long and close relationship with Bogaert, who coached him as a professional with Sedan in France.
But his remarkable success with the national team, including winning the African Nations Championship (AfCON) in 2022, has seen Pape Thiaw promoted by the Senegalese FA to become Aliou Cissé’s first assistant.
Cissé has come under fire from much of the Senegalese public for some of his decisions in recent games for the national team, which has not been the same in recent months. At the last CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, the Lions were knocked out in the round of 16, a failure that prevented Senegal from retaining the title they had won in Cameroon.
Many attribute this defeat to the coaching mistakes of Aliou Cissé, who has been in charge since 2015.
This coaching reshuffle comes just ten days before Senegal’s first qualifier for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Lions face Burkina Faso and Burundi on 6 and 9 September respectively, and Cissé will unveil the list of players selected for the two matches on Friday.
Pape Thiaw, who was part of Senegal’s famous 2002 generation along with Cissé, will be joined on the technical staff by physical trainer Hussein Bichara Farhat, nicknamed “Coach Flamma,” who is said to have trained several footballers on holiday in Senegal.
Frenchman Teddy Pellerin has been appointed as second assistant coach.
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