Patrick Vieira takes charge of Senegal in first international management role

Patrick Vieira has been appointed Senegal manager, giving the former France captain his first job in international football after Pape Thiaw was dismissed following an inconsistent World Cup campaign.

The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) confirmed Vieira’s appointment after an extraordinary meeting of its emergency committee, held by videoconference on Monday afternoon.

“A l’issue de ses deliberations, le Comite d’urgence a approuve a l’unanimite la nomination de M. Patrick Vieira au poste de selectionneur de l’equipe nationale A du Senegal”, the FSF said in a statement.

“Ce choix strategique marque une nouvelle etape dans la volonte de la FSF de mettre en place une structure technique de haut niveau, pleinement en phase avec les ambitions sportives de notre pays.”

Vieira, 50, was born in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, in 1976 before moving to northern France when he was eight. He went on to win 107 caps for France and played a key role in the team’s triumph at the 1998 World Cup.

Two years later, he was part of the France side that won the European Championship. Vieira also reached another World Cup final with Les Bleus in 2006, although France lost to Italy on penalties.

He was also in the France team beaten by Senegal in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup. Senegal won 1-0 in Seoul, with Papa Bouba Diop scoring the only goal.

At club level, Vieira became one of Arsenal’s most influential players during nine years in north London. The midfielder joined the club in August 1996, shortly before Arsene Wenger was appointed manager, and quickly established himself as a dominant presence in the Premier League.

Vieira won three Premier League titles with Arsenal and captained the team during the unbeaten 2003-04 campaign, when the club became known as the “Invincibles”.

He later played for Juventus, Inter Milan and Manchester City before moving into coaching.

His managerial career has taken him across the United States, England, France and Italy. Vieira began in charge of New York City FC, where he gained his first senior coaching experience, before managing Nice, Crystal Palace and Strasbourg.

His most recent position was at Genoa. He left the Serie A club by mutual agreement in November 2025 while the team was at the bottom of the league table.

The Senegal role represents a new stage in Vieira’s career and his first appointment as an international manager. His immediate task will be to restore stability to a national side whose latest World Cup campaign ended with the dismissal of Pape Thiaw.

The FSF said Vieira’s appointment formed part of a wider ambition to create a high-level technical structure aligned with Senegal’s sporting objectives. He will now be responsible for leading the national team as it seeks to move on from a difficult period and rebuild under a coach with major international and club experience.