On Friday, Senegal appointed Pape Thiaw as national coach intending to reclaim the Africa Cup of Nations title and qualify for the next World Cup.

A Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) official confirmed 43-year-old Thiaw’s selection.

Thiaw had held the position on an interim basis since October following the dismissal of Aliou Cisse who took over in 2015 and led the country to their first Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2022 and to the last two World Cup tournaments.

Former Senegal forward Thiaw, who played at French clubs St Etienne, Strasbourg and Metz, was on the team that reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup.

As a coach, he won the 2022 African Nations Championship (CHAN) reserved for local players.

-AFP

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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) may have begun investigating Guinea’s protest filed against Tanzania in the encounter at the last match day of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.

Tanzania won the match 1-0 to qualify and eliminated Guinea.

Guinea submitted an appeal to the governing body last week following claiming that Tanzania fielded a player with the wrong number on his shirt.

In their appeal, Guinea argued that Ibrahim Ame, who was brought on in the 73rd minute, wore the incorrect number, contrary to CAF’s rules.

Ame’s number on the official team sheets was 24 but he donned number 26 while entering the field of play. Guinea, therefore, wants CAF to disqualify Tanzania and upgrade the West Africans as qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

A complaint was also lodged against the Kenyan match commissioner.

According to Kenyan publication, Tuko.co.ke, CAF has responded to Guinea’s complaint and wrote that  

CAF promised to make a follow-up as soon as possible.

“CAF informed the Guinean Football Federation (FGF) that the Secretariat of the Disciplinary Organs of CAF has taken note of the FGF’s complaint relating to the Tanzania – Guinea match,” read part of the statement.

Guinea have expressly asked CAF to pronounce itself and state the laws.

Both sides will now be waiting pensively for CAF’s findings to know who will qualify for Morocco next year. DR Congo qualified as group winners.

Guinea called out a Kenyan official who was the match commissioner in the match in question.

Guinea accused the official of inexplicable behaviour after he refused to take down their complaints.

Guinea’s protest against the qualification of Tanzania for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations has taken a regional dimension. Guinea, from West Africa, got eliminated by East Africa’s Tanzania after their last match ended in a 1-0 defeat for the West African team.

In filing a protest against the alleged fielding of an ineligible player by Tanzania, Guinea also alleged complicity by the match commissioner who is from Kenya which is also in East Africa.

In the protest filed, Guinea claimed that Tanzania brought on a player whose jersey number was not on the official team sheet.

The match sheet

The player wore jersey number 26 but no player was attached to that number in the official team sheet.

According to Guinea’s submission, this is a clear contravention of the rules. The Guinea FA therefore wants CAF to award them the game.

It was further claimed that an attempt to statutorily route the protest through the match commissioner was rebuffed.

At the centre of the controversy is the match commissioner,  Francis Oliele of Kenya.

Guinea  termed Oliele’s behaviour ‘inexplicable’ as he did not allow them to file complaints at the end of the game.

“He went so far as to ask Guinean officials to go to CAF instead and not to him,” reads a part of Guinea’s appeal. The Michel Dussuyer-coached side is also concerned about why the commissioner and security officer were chosen from Kenya country, which is in the same Zonal Union.