Overview
- The Senegalese Football Federation announced on Tuesday, August 18 that Patrick Vieira is the new head coach and said a date for his official presentation will be given later.
- Vieira will take charge in time for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, with matches due in the September international window against Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia.
- Local reporting says the emergency committee ratified the choice but that the decision produced heated debate inside the FSF and raised questions about the president’s handling of the process.
- Senegal’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over CAF’s decision to strip the team of the recent AFCON title is scheduled for October 8, an off-field legal matter Vieira inherits.
- Vieira, born in Dakar and a World Cup and Euro winner with France, takes his first international job after club spells in the US, France, England and Italy and faces pressure to stabilise selection and deliver results quickly.