Senegal came to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with momentum. A fresh AFCON title, a coach who had delivered on every promise so far, and a squad hungry to make history. Then France happened.
A 3-1 defeat to Les Bleus on June 16 was not the start anyone had scripted. But head coach Pape Thiaw is insisting the story is far from over.
Thiaw confirmed on June 22 that a series of internal disputes within the Senegalese Football Federation, including issues around his own contract and unpaid player bonuses, have now been resolved. The timing matters. With a critical match against Norway on the horizon, the last thing Senegal needed was a dressing room distracted by administrative drama.
More than money
Thiaw was careful to frame the dispute in a specific way. These were not, in his telling, arguments about cash. They were arguments about principle and respect.
