In a major interview with RTS, Senegal head coach Patrick Vieira set the target of AFCON 2027, called for attacking football and warned that status and experience guarantee no special treatment. He also said he needs Sadio Mané, the Al-Nassr forward.
Patrick Vieira has set out his ambitions. In a major exclusive interview broadcast by Senegalese public television (RTS), the head coach of the Lions of Teranga made clear his team’s ambition: to go and win AFCON 2027. “When you are Senegal head coach, you know what is expected. I don’t think there is any need to say what the objectives are. The objective is to go and win this AFCON,” said the 50-year-old, as reported by Wiwsport.
Appointed to the Lions’ bench on 16 August 2026 as Pape Thiaw’s replacement, Vieira used the interview to lay down a clear framework: status and experience guarantee no special treatment.
A game resolutely geared towards attack
On the playing side, Patrick Vieira was unambiguous. “We must be able to offer a very ambitious football, that is to say a football based on attacking, creating situations, creating chances, scoring goals,” he told RTS, in comments picked up by APS. The head coach wants an aggressive team, geared towards attack.
Vieira intends to implement that philosophy with a high-level management and technical staff, up to the standards demanded of the African champions, Senenews reports. The head coach also stressed preparation: according to Senego, he recalled that details and incidents during a game can swing a final, but that preparation must eliminate any room for improvisation.
Koulibaly and Gana Gueye, senior players left on the bench
During the qualifiers, Kalidou Koulibaly, the international defender, and Idrissa Gana Gueye, the international midfielder, started on the bench before being fielded in the friendly against the Comoros in Marseille, Pressafrik reports. Vieira praised their exemplary attitude.
According to Xalima, the head coach nevertheless warned that status and experience guarantee neither special treatment nor an automatic starting place.
Mané indispensable, Sarr left with his club
On Sadio Mané, absent from the last squad because of a knee problem, Vieira said: “As of today, we need Sadio.”
Another matter raised was that of Ismaïla Sarr. Vieira made clear that an agreement had been reached to leave him available to his club because of communication issues and personal reasons, according to Pressafrik.
On the pitch, Senegal have taken 4 points from 6 at the start of their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign: a 1-1 draw against Mozambique in Maputo and a 1-0 win against Ethiopia in Bahir Dar. The Lions’ next squad is scheduled for November 2026 for the rest of the qualifiers.