Patrick Vieira appointed Senegal head coach
The Arsenal Invincibles great replaces Pape Thiaw, who was sacked after Senegal's extra-time World Cup last-32 exit to Belgium.
Patrick Vieira has been unveiled as the new head coach of Senegal, replacing Pape Thiaw after the Lions of Teranga's last-32 exit from the World Cup. The former Arsenal captain will be formally presented in Dakar on Friday, when he is also due to name his first squad.
"Honoured and proud to join Senegal as head coach of the national A team. I thank the Senegalese Football Federation for their confidence. I am looking Forward to meeting the group and starting work Together on the next steps," Vieira wrote on Instagram.
Vieira, 50, was born in Dakar and lived in Senegal until he was eight, when he moved to France with his family and began his professional career at Cannes. He went on to win 107 caps for France, lifting the World Cup in 1998, and captained Arsenal's 'Invincibles' side that went through the 2003/04 Premier League season unbeaten, His management career has taken in Crystal Palace, Nice and, most recently, Genoa.
Thiaw lost his job after Senegal led Belgium 2-0 with five minutes left in the last 32, only to concede twice and go on to lose in extra time. The Senegalese Football Federation said the decision to remove him was taken "in the best interests of Senegalese football".
The squad Vieira names on Friday is expected to include Iliman Ndiaye, who joined Manchester City this month and has yet to score for his new club, and Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr. Senegal face Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers away to Mozambique and Ethiopia later this month, followed by a friendly against the Comoros Islands in Marseille in early October.
Those qualifiers will be Vieira's first competitive test in the role, and give an early read on how quickly he can rebuild a squad still smarting from the manner of its World Cup exit.
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