Pape Gueye suspends his appearances in the Senegal national team under the current team

 Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye has announced that he intends to "take a break" from playing for the national team while the current coaching staff is at the helm of the team. The 27-year-old's decision came after Senegal, led by Pape Thiaw, lost a dramatic round of 16 match against Belgium during the World Cup. Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr gave Senegal a 2-0 lead before Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans scored for Belgium to send the match to extra time. In the 125th minute, Belgium received a controversial penalty kick, which Tielemans converted into a goal, eliminating Senegal from the tournament. Gueye, who normally plays for Spanish Villarreal, started the match but was replaced by Lamine Camara after 66 minutes. "I will come back to say a few words about the elimination... but I am announcing today that as long as this coaching staff remains in place, I will be taking a break from the national team," said Gueye, who has 45 caps for the national team and scored two goals, including in the group stage win against Iraq. Thiaw has been in charge of Senegal since December 2024 and has been at the center of controversy over Senegal being stripped of the 2025 African Championship title. Thiaw ordered his team off the field when a penalty was awarded in stoppage time in the African Cup of Nations final against Morocco. The players returned after about 17 minutes of break, and Brahim Diaz missed a penalty, giving the Senegalese victory after extra time. However, in March 2025, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) annulled the result of the final, awarding the title to Morocco. Senegal appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, hoping to regain the title.