Patrick Vieira begins new chapter with Senegal national team

Patrick Vieira officially begins his tenure as Senegal head coach on Monday, 14 September, starting a new chapter with the Lions after being appointed as the successor to Pape Thiaw.

The former France international was announced as Senegal’s new coach on 18 August and has since been preparing for his first period in charge.

Vieira, who was born in Dakar, has already started planning for the team’s upcoming matches and has been in contact with several Senegalese internationals.

According to Sport News Africa, Vieira was also informed by goalkeeper Édouard Mendy of his decision to end his international career.

Vieira is expected to sign a four year contract with the Senegalese Football Federation. His agreement will cover the national team’s upcoming commitments, including the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup.

The new coach will also be formally introduced to the media in Dakar on 18 September, according to the same source.

Vieira has already begun working on the squad he will use for his first matches in charge. Sport News Africa reports that he was involved in preparing the list of players for Senegal’s upcoming fixtures.

The Lions will begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with two away matches.

Their first qualifier will be against Mozambique before they travel to face Ethiopia. Senegal will then play a friendly against Comoros in Marseille.

The schedule will give Vieira an early opportunity to begin putting his ideas into practice with the national team as he takes over from Thiaw.

Although his appointment was announced several weeks ago, Monday marks the official beginning of his work as Senegal manager.

Vieira has used the period since his appointment to prepare for the new role and establish contact with members of the national team. He can now move into the next stage of his tenure with his first training camp and competitive matches approaching.

The former French international arrives with a clear set of fixtures ahead of him, starting with Senegal’s two away Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

His four year agreement is expected to take him through a number of important international commitments, with the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the 2030 World Cup qualifiers among the key challenges ahead.

Vieira’s official start therefore comes after several weeks of preparation behind the scenes, with the new Senegal coach now set to lead the Lions into the next phase of their international campaign.