When your national team gets bounced from the World Cup in the round of 32, someone has to take the fall. In Senegal’s case, the football federation decided that someone was head coach Pape Thiaw, and their explanation for the team’s collapse is, well, refreshingly blunt: they say his salary negotiations wrecked everything.
FSF president Abdoulaye Fall held a press conference on July 13 to explain why Thiaw and his entire coaching staff were shown the door one day earlier. The core accusation: Thiaw’s push to more than double his monthly pay from roughly 20 million CFA francs to 50 million CFA francs created what Fall described as a “breakdown in trust” that infected the squad’s preparation and performance during the tournament.
**A pay dispute that spiraled**
Thiaw was appointed head coach on December 13, 2024. At some point before the 2026 World Cup, he reportedly sought a major salary bump, pushing for 50 million CFA francs per month, roughly $80,000 at current exchange rates, up from an existing salary in the range of $32,000 to $45,000 monthly. The two sides eventually settled on approximately 30 million CFA francs.
According to Fall, the negotiations didn’t just involve base salary. Disputes over win bonuses and signing bonuses added fuel to what was becoming a very public bonfire. The compromise on paper didn’t translate to a compromise in the locker room.
