Patrick Vieira defends Senegal appointment after ‘not great’ Genoa spell

Patrick Vieira has defended his appointment as Senegal manager after being questioned about his recent record at club level, insisting his coaching experience and the lessons learned at Genoa made him the right man for the job.

The 1998 World Cup winner was officially presented as Senegal’s new head coach on Friday. He has already announced his first squad and held his first news conference since taking charge of the national side.

Vieira faced questions over his “not great” record with Genoa, his most recent club, and whether he fully understood the increased demands that come with leading a national team.

The former midfielder initially responded with a smile before delivering a little over a minute of remarks outlining his experience as a manager and the lessons he had taken from his previous position.

Vieira was dismissed by Genoa in November 2025 after a difficult start to the 2025-2026 season. The former Strasbourg coach left with the Grifone at the bottom of the Italian league after nine matches without a win.

His first task will be to rebuild a Senegal side that suffered a frustrating elimination in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.

Vieira’s opening fixtures will therefore attract close attention. Senegal face Mozambique and Ethiopia on 25 and 29 September respectively in the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers, before meeting Comoros in a friendly in Marseille on 4 October.