Outraged Senegal star threatens to never play for his country again in extraordinary Instagram post immediately after World Cup exit

In a move that has sent shockwaves through African football, Gueye has announced he will no longer represent Senegal as long as the current coaching staff remains in place. The declaration came via a social media post just hours after the Lions of Teranga were eliminated from the World Cup in a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Belgium.

Gueye, who had been a key figure for his country during the tournament, did not hold back in his assessment of the management. Writing on his Instagram story, the midfielder stated: "l'Il be back to give you a few words regarding elimination... but l announce today that as long as it's this technical staff l'II take a break from the selection."

Instagram/p.gueye24

The backdrop to Gueye's explosive announcement was a catastrophic second-half collapse. Senegal looked to be cruising into a Round of 16 clash against the USA thanks to goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr. However, the game turned on its head after Gueye was substituted in the 64th minute for Lamine Camara.

Belgium struck twice in the final ten minutes through Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans to force extra time. The turnaround was completed in the 125th minute when Tielemans converted a penalty following a VAR intervention. The defeat marks a bitter end to a campaign that had promised so much for the African nation.

Head coach Pape Thiaw found himself facing a barrage of questions regarding his game management, specifically the decision to remove Gueye and other key stars while leading. Thiaw insisted the changes were not tactical blunders but were forced by the physical condition of his squad.

"They were tired and couldn’t continue. Leaving them on the field would have been unprofessional on our part. We had to replace them, like for like," Thiaw explained. "Of course, when you lose a match after leading 2-0, people inevitably talk about the substitutes. But you can't reduce everything to that. These changes were primarily dictated by fatigue, more than by tactical considerations."

The exit and Gueye's subsequent rebellion add to a growing list of controversies for the Senegalese national team. Thiaw was already under fire following the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, where he famously ordered his players off the pitch in protest of a refereeing decision. Although they eventually won that match on the pitch, CAF later overturned the result and awarded the victory and thus the title to Morocco.

Reflecting on the Belgium loss, a dejected Thiaw added: "We just lost a match that was really important to us. We wanted to qualify for the Senegalese people, we thought we deserved it, but unfortunately, we are eliminated. I am sad, the players are sad too, because they really wanted this qualification."