Pape Gueye pauses Senegal duty while current staff remain after Belgium heartbreak | OneFootball

Pape Gueye has plunged Senegal into turmoil after their World Cup last 32 exit to Belgium, announcing a pause from national duty while the current coaching staff remain. The Villarreal midfielder made the decision public on social media, the player said in a post.

Senegal led 2-0 and had Belgium under pressure, with Thibaut Courtois busy, when Pape Thiaw replaced Gueye in the 66th minute. Romelu Lukaku pulled one back in the 86th minute, Youri Tielemans levelled in the 89th, then Tielemans won it 3-2 from the spot in extra time.

Gueye left the pitch visibly incredulous and frustrated. In the mixed zone he denied any fitness issue behind the change, stressing that selections are the coach's call.

His subsequent Instagram message was deliberate rather than heat of the moment, and it signalled open discontent within the camp.

Gueye is no fringe figure. He scored the extra time winner as Senegal beat Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final, a triumph later tangled in a boardroom dispute driven by Morocco's federation. That goal made him a national hero, his stance now risks a deep split.

Senegal depart the World Cup after seeming to have Belgium beaten, the pain runs beyond the result. A historic chance has slipped, and an internal row now looms with one of their stars. Villarreal watch from afar as a continental symbol becomes the face of a crisis for the Lions of Teranga.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo