Pape Gueye vows to sit out Senegal until technical staff departs

Midfielder Pape Gueye announced on social media that he will not play for Senegal as long as the current technical staff remains, after the World Cup loss to Belgium that saw Senegal surrender a 2-0 lead and lose 3-2 in .

The 27‑year‑old midfielder posted the message on his personal social‑media account. “Ik kom terug met een paar woorden over de uitschakeling… Maar ik kondig vandaag aan dat zolang deze technische staf er is, ik een pauze zal nemen van de nationale ploeg,” he wrote. He prefaced his statement with the Dutch phrase “Ik kom terug met een paar woorden over de uitschakeling…”.

Coach Pape Thiaw substituted Gueye after more than an hour of play, when Senegal still held a 2‑0 advantage. From the bench, Gueye watched as Belgium turned the tie around and eliminated Senegal.

Belgium equalised before and then secured the win with a penalty from Youri Tielemans. The final score was 3‑2 in favour of Belgium after .

The match took place on Wednesday night, Dutch time, and marked Senegal’s exit from the World Cup. Gueye’s announcement came shortly after the final whistle.

Gueye said his pause will last as long as the current technical staff remains in charge. His decision leaves Senegal without one of its experienced midfielders for upcoming fixtures.