A stunning late collapse against Belgium has plunged Senegalese football into crisis, with fans, former players and the press directing fierce criticism at the national team's coaching staff following a painful 3-2 defeat in the World Cup round of 32. Senegal, known as the Lions of Teranga, appeared to be cruising to the last 16, leading 2-0 with under ten minutes remaining in Seattle, before Belgium scored three times — including a VAR-awarded extra-time penalty — to complete one of the tournament's most dramatic comebacks.

At the centre of the storm are the substitutions made by head coach Pape Thiaw during Senegal's dominant second half. Midfielder Pape Gueye, who had been restored to the starting line-up after scoring twice as a substitute in a 5-0 win over Iraq, was taken off in the 66th minute. Thiaw argued that some players were tiring and changes were necessary, but Gueye publicly rejected that explanation, saying he was physically fine. Hours after the final whistle, Gueye posted on Instagram that he would take an indefinite break from international football for as long as the current technical staff remain in charge — a statement widely read as a direct rebuke of Thiaw. Former international Ferdinand Coly, part of the celebrated 2002 Senegal squad that famously defeated France at the World Cup, was equally blunt: