Aliou Cisse has been relieved of his position as Senegal coach after nine and a half years in charge of the Teranga Lions.
Cisse had already called a press conference for Friday to announce his squad for this month's double-header against Malawi.and his longevity in the role helped establish the Teranga Lions as Africa's top-ranked side for over four years. It said the reasons behind the decision were the "failure to achieve the objectives assigned in November 2022" - namely reaching the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup and winning the 2023 Afcon title - the "regression of our national team" in the world rankings and "the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese in general".
He captained the national side at the 2002 World Cup as they shocked holders France en route to reaching the quarter-finals on their first appearance at the tournament.