Senegal didn’t have a nice World Cup. Their logistic issues during the tournament became infamous, they allowed coach Pape Thiaw to almost board the plane without a contract, risking punishment from FIFA and they they sacked him after the tournament ended. The Lions of Teranga bottled a 2-0 lead and lost to Belgium 3-2 in the Round of 32. But now, just over a month after his dismissal, Senegal found a new manager, and it’s a familiar name – Patrick Vieira.Monsieur Patrick Vieira est le nouvel entraîneur de l’équipe nationale A du Sénégal. La date de la présentation officielle et les prochaines étapes de son installation feront l’objet d’une communication ultérieure. Bienvenue au Sénégal, Coach ✅ pic.twitter.com/eJca5zNXkn— Equipe du Sénégal (@GaindeYi) August 18, 2026 Former Arsenal captain has signed a contract with his home country and will lead the team in the AFCON qualifiers in September. Vieira was born in Dakar before moving to France at the age of eight. He reportedly did not return to Senegal until 2003, 19 years after leaving, but he will now visit Senegal much more often."It is always good for people to know that I'm African and for people to remind themselves that I'm born in Africa" stated Vieira recently, born to a Gabonese father and a Cape Verdean mother.The Lions of Teranga made contact with Vieira as soon as Thiaw was sacked and The Sun first reported about it on July 25th.Lions of Teranga aim high: Arsenal and France legend close to taking over Senegal?“Mr. Patrick Vieira is the new coach of Senegal's senior national team. The date of the official presentation and the next steps in his installation will be the subject of a subsequent announcement” reads the short statement on the social platform X. The former French midfielder, a World Cup winner in 1998, had been without a managerial position since leaving Genoa (Serie A) last November. Previously, he coached New York City (2015-2018), Nice (2018-2020), Crystal Palace (2021-2023) and Strasbourg (2023-2024).##NAJAVA_MECA_9901430##