Senegal: Abdoulaye Fall speaks out about a 'collapse of trust' with Pape Thiaw

President denounces lack of respect for authority during the World Cup

Africa 13 July 2026 at 17:42

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Senegal: Abdoulaye Fall speaks out about a 'collapse of trust' with Pape Thiaw

On Monday, July 13, Abdoulaye Fall delivered scathing criticism of the former Teranga Lions coach. The president of the Senegalese Football Federation explained that the relationship with Pape Thiaw broke down during the World Cup, leading to a "complete lack of trust."

Following the Round of 16 exit from the World Cup against Belgium with a 3-2 defeat, Fall affirmed that Senegal paid the price for a tense atmosphere within the squad. Abdoulaye Fall initially pointed to a communication breakdown.

I no longer had any information about the team line-ups. I only discovered the starting eleven for our first two matches (France 3-1, and Norway 3-2) right on the pitch.

Abdoulaye Fall: "In the first two matches, I no longer knew the starting line-up"#FSF #wiwsport pic.twitter.com/3g00g4fwpi
— wiwsport (@wiwsport) July 13, 2026

According to the federation president, the situation deteriorated to the point of no return.

At some point, there was a total collapse of trust. He no longer trusted us. We have to take responsibility. I believe this affected the team's performance.

Abdoulaye Fall goes even further and speaks about a lack of respect for authority:

There were incidents that had a negative impact on our results. And I believe that at a certain point, authority was not respected. This is unacceptable. But the Senegal national team must be above everyone. More national pride should have been displayed.