Aliou Cisse has been relieved of his position as Senegal coach after nine and a half years in charge of the Teranga Lions.
The 48-year-old guided the West Africans to their first continental title, winning the delayed 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in February 2022.
Although his previous contract ended in August, he remained in charge for Senegal’s two 2025 Afcon qualifiers last month, a 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso and a 1-0 victory over Burundi.
The country’s football federation (FSF) wanted Cisse’s deal to be renewed but the sports ministry, under Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s new government, has made the decision to end his long tenure just nine days before the next round of qualifiers.
“The FSF would like to thank Aliou Cisse for his good collaboration and his brilliant results at the head of various national selections and wishes him every success for the future,” a statement said.
While relations between the government, who pay the coach’s salary, and the FSF have not always been easy, the timing of the move is a surprise.
Cisse had already called a press conference for Friday to announce his squad for this month’s double-header against Malawi.
Cisse, who won 35 caps for Senegal as a player, took charge in March 2015 and his longevity in the role helped establish the Teranga Lions as Africa’s top-ranked side for over four years.
Their Nations Cup title won on penalties against Egypt in Cameroon, came three years after finishing as runners-up at the 2019 edition of the finals.
However, the defence of their trophy earlier this year ended in the last 16 after a penalty shootout defeat against hosts and eventual champions Ivory Coast.
The Teranga Lions also reached the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups, but exited in the group stage and last 16 respectively, with Morocco replacing Cisse’s side as Africa’s highest-raked nation in December 2022.
Meanwhile, Senegal currently sit second in their group, two points behind leaders Sudan, after four rounds of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. That campaign is set to resume next March.
The FSF’s statement said that Khady Diene Gaye, Senegal’s Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, had not approved a one-year contract extension for Cisse in a letter it received on Monday.
It said the reasons behind the decision were the “failure to achieve the objectives assigned in November 2022” – namely reaching the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup and winning the 2023 Afcon title – the “regression” in the world rankings and “the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese in general”.
The FSF is yet to announce an interim coaching team for the upcoming 2025 Afcon qualifiers against Malawi.
Triumph and tragedy
Cisse was part of Senegal’s first golden generation during his playing career, which included spells at Sedan, Paris St-Germain, Birmingham City and Portsmouth.
He captained the national side at the 2002 World Cup as they shocked holders France en route to reaching the quarter-finals on their first appearance at the tournament.
Earlier that year, he had missed the decisive penalty in the shootout at the end of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations final against Cameroon, while in September 2002 he experienced personal tragedy in the Joola ferry disaster.
Eleven family members, including his sister, died when the ship, often labelled ‘Africa’s Titanic’, sank off the coast of The Gambia.
He told BBC Sport Africa in 2022 that he still feels the effects of the tragedy, which he says he could easily have been part of.
“I can’t even count how many times I took the ferry,” he said.
“Every time I came back home, I travelled on the Joola. I could have easily been on the boat too, so I was lucky.”
His coaching career started when he joined the FSF in 2011 and he first worked with Senegal’s Under-23 team, including at the 2012 Olympics, before taking charge of the Teranga Lions following the departure of Alain Giresse.