October 3 – Senegal coach Aliou Cissé, who led his country to an Africa Cup of Nations title and the past two World Cup tournaments, has lost his job seemingly after government intervention.
Local reports say the Senegalese FA cited a government request not to renew his contract.
Cissé was nearing 10 years in charge of the Teranga Lions that included reaching two AFCON finals – winning the title in 2022 – and the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup.
The FA released a letter Wednesday thanking Cissé for his work and “his brilliant results” but listing the sports ministry’s reasons for getting rid of him: not reaching recent tournament objectives, falling FIFA ranking (by a mere four places from its record high of 17 to the current 21) and the risk of worsening relations between the team and the Senegalese public.
The former Paris Saint-Germain defender had been due to hold a news conference to announce his squad for upcoming qualifying games for the 2025 AFCON.
Senegal is unbeaten in a four-team qualifying group for the next African championship and also unbeaten in its World Cup qualifying group though trails leader Sudan by two points after four of the 10 rounds.
It was unclear whether the sports ministry’s request fell foul of FIFA rules prohibiting government interference in the independent management of its member federations.
The FA said it will appoint an interim coaching team for the next games.
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