Senegal: uncertainty still surrounds Patrick Vieira's appointment as head coach

Senegal has announced the arrival of Patrick Vieira as head coach of the Lions of Teranga. However, according to recent statements from within the Federation itself, the official announcement may have been made a little prematurely.

While appearing on RFM, Bakary Cissé, a member of the Executive Committee of the Senegalese Football Federation, offered a crucial clarification. "We have a verbal agreement with Patrick Vieira," he explained, before adding: "We are still negotiating the legal terms."

What this means is that when the Federation presented Patrick Vieira as its new head coach through its official communication, the legal details had not yet been fully finalized. The FSF’s communications department may have jumped the gun, taking a significant risk.

Patrick Vieira, silent since the announcement

Another detail adding to the uncertainty is that Patrick Vieira himself has not released any statement regarding his appointment since the Senegalese Federation's announcement. During his stay in Senegal, the former French international did post several photos from Senegal, even captioning one on his Instagram, "Lions de la Téranga" during a family safari at the Bandia ranch.

However, he has not given any indication of an official contract with the FSF. This silence is perfectly in line with Bakary Cissé’s remarks.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

Related teams and leagues

Senegal