Presentation of the new national coach: Patrick Vieira, the moment of truth for the new boss of the Lions

The Senegalese Football Federation (Fsf) will officially present Patrick Vieira, on Friday September 18, in Dakar, as the new coach of the national A team. The French technician will immediately unveil his first list for a decisive international window, with two qualifying matches for Can 2027 against Mozambique and Ethiopia, then a friendly match against the Comoros in Marseille.

The new chapter is now ready to begin. On Friday September 18, from 10:30 a.m. GMT, the press conference room at the Léopold Sédar Senghor stadium will be the scene of the official presentation of Patrick Vieira. The announcement is from the Senegalese Football Federation (Fsf) through a press release. The 1998 world champion, with France, will, for the first time, officially address the Senegalese press in his new role. The former French midfielder will also unveil his first list of players called up. An expected announcement, since it will give the first clues about his choices, his priorities and, possibly, the contours of the new team he intends to build. Before Vieira, there was Pape Thiaw. His departure left behind a significant sequence of tensions and questions. The Fsf had assumed part of the responsibility for the failure of the World Cup. Its secretary general, Abdoulaye Saydou Sow, spoke of a “collective failure”, while defending the decision to turn the page on Thiaw. Thus ended, in a heavy climate, the adventure of a technician who had nevertheless allowed Senegal to conquer a new continental title.

Vieira, the choice of a new cycle

To open this new page, the Fsf chose Patrick Vieira. On August 18, the Emergency Committee unanimously approved the appointment of the former French international. Born in Dakar, world champion in 1998 and European champion in 2000 with France, Vieira has solid experience in high-level football. He notably managed New York City, Nice, Crystal Palace, Strasbourg and Genoa. His appointment, however, constitutes a first on an international scale: the 50-year-old technician will lead, for the first time, a national selection. Above all, he inherits a team which lacks neither talent nor ambition, but which must quickly regain momentum after a disappointing World Cup. For the Fsf, his arrival must symbolize a move upmarket in technical supervision. The federal body presented this choice as a new step in its desire to put in place “high-level” supervision, in line with the ambitions of Senegalese football.

First list, first answers

The September 18 ceremony will therefore not be a simple protocol presentation. Patrick Vieira will have to immediately get to the heart of the matter with the publication of his first list. The choices of the new coach will be scrutinized, in particular concerning the executives of the Lair, possible new faces and the balance between experience and renewal. Just a few days after this announcement, the Lions will return to official competition. Senegal will first travel to Mozambique, on Friday September 25, at the Zimpeto national stadium in Maputo, for qualifications for Can 2027. Four days later, on Tuesday September 29, the Lions will face Ethiopia at the Bahir Dar Stadium, in the Amhara region. The international window will end with a friendly against the Comoros on Sunday October 4 at the Orange Vélodrome in Marseille. Three meetings, therefore, for a first full-scale contact. Two high-stakes matches and friendly opposition which will already allow us to measure the first choices of the new boss of La Tanière.

A blank page but not a team to rebuild

Patrick Vieira does not join a team devoid of benchmarks. He recovers a group which remains one of the most competitive on the continent and which still has significant international experience. Its main challenge will be less to shake up everything than to give new impetus to a selection that has emerged bruised from its global adventure. Between the legacy of Pape Thiaw, the ambitions of the Federation and the high expectations of the Senegalese public, the new coach already knows that his mandate will be judged on his results. Can 2027 is looming, while Senegal already has ambitions for the next major international cycle.

Friday, in Dakar, Patrick Vieira will officially enter the doors of La Tanière. A few hours later, his first list will say a lot about the direction he wants to take the Lions. After the Pape Thiaw saga, Senegal now wants to look ahead. With Vieira, a new story begins.

By Yaya SOW (Intern)