Senegal head coach Patrick Vieira on Thursday 15 October 2026 on RTS1 denied rumours of international retirement for Ismaïl Jakobs, absent from the first two qualifying matchdays, and announced there was no obstacle to the Galatasaray full-back returning in November.
The story had been running since September. On Thursday 15 October 2026, Patrick Vieira took to national channel RTS1 to put an end to speculation surrounding Ismaïl Jakobs. According to Dailysports, the head coach of the Lions of Teranga confirmed he had spoken directly by phone with the Galatasaray left-back, dismissing the rumours of a desire for international retirement on the part of the 27-year-old.
A slight communication problem
The clarification was awaited. The left-back, with 33 caps to his name according to Dailysports, had not been called up for the first two matchdays of the CAN 2027 qualifiers, nor for the friendly against the Comoros. A triple absence that had fuelled interpretations, until this statement.
According to RTS1, Patrick Vieira gave an explanation: “There may have been a slight communication problem between the player and me, contrary to what people on the outside may think. When communication is not clear, it leaves the door open to all sorts of comments. I spoke to him on the phone and we talked. There were some personal issues.”
The head coach did not detail the nature of those personal issues. He only specified that the decision was taken by mutual agreement with the player: “That is why we decided to leave him at the disposal of his club.”
These clarifications respond to rumours that appeared in September, claiming the player wanted to retire from international football. Rumours that Patrick Vieira formally denied, as reported by Dailysports.
Barcelona in his sights
To back up his words, Patrick Vieira said he had recently watched Ismaïl Jakobs’s performance against FC Barcelona in the Champions League. According to RTS1, he drew the following conclusion: “I recently saw him play against Barcelona. So there should be no problem on that front for the next call-up.”
Under Patrick Vieira, Senegal have an opening record of two wins and one draw, according to RTS1.
November, the next date
According to Wiwsport, Patrick Vieira stated there was no obstacle to Ismaïl Jakobs being called up for the November 2026 gathering. The player, who has 33 caps, could thus return for the rest of the CAN 2027 qualifiers.
The official squad list is not yet known: Senegal’s next gathering and the list of selected players are expected in November 2026.
The player himself, who plays for Galatasaray SK in Turkey, has not yet been officially called up.