Pape Gueye has gone on strike from the Senegal national team, sparking a row with head coach Pape Thiaw. The Villarreal midfielder says he will take a break from the squad while the current technical team remains in place, following Senegal's 3-2 World Cup exit to Belgium.
Gueye's bombshell announcement
Gueye, 27, took to social media to drop the bombshell news after the African nation's dramatic elimination. Senegal conceded two goals in two-and-a-half minutes during their round of 32 loss, surrendering their place in the last-16 in extra-time.
In a post to his Instagram story, Gueye said: "I'll be back to give you a few words regarding elimination... but I announce today that as long as it's this technical staff I'll take a break from the selection."
The dramatic comeback
Habiib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr put Senegal into a comfortable 2-0 lead, seemingly booking their place in the Round of 16 against the USA. However, goals from Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans spared Belgium's blushes, with Tielemans winning and scoring a 125th-minute penalty to complete the turnaround.
Gueye was brought off shortly after the hour mark while Senegal held a two-goal lead, with Thiaw introducing Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara as his replacement.
Thiaw defends substitutions
Following the defeat, Thiaw said: "We just lost a match that was really important to us. We wanted to qualify for the Senegalese people, we thought we deserved it, but unfortunately, we are eliminated. I am sad, the players are sad too, because they really wanted this qualification."
The 45-year-old coach suggested that some substitutions were enforced after players asked to be brought off. Everton's Iliman Ndiaye and Sunderland's Habib Diarra were replaced during the second half before the turnaround, while Sadio Mane and Idrissa Gana Gueye were both taken off in extra-time.
Thiaw explained: "They were tired and couldn't continue. Leaving them on the field would have been unprofessional on our part. We had to replace them, like for like. Of course, when you lose a match after leading 2-0, people inevitably talk about the substitutes. But you can't reduce everything to that. These changes were primarily dictated by fatigue, more than by tactical considerations."
Broader context
Wednesday's exit marks the latest flashpoint in a controversial period for Senegalese football. Thiaw previously dragged his players off the pitch during the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco after a stoppage-time penalty was awarded to the hosts. Once play resumed, Senegal won in extra-time, but they were later declared to have forfeited the match for walking off during regulation.
Belgium will now face the USA in the next round after Mauricio Pochettino's side beat Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-0. Florian Balogun scored before being sent off, but Malik Tillman secured their progression eight minutes from time.
