Patrick Vieira appointed as head coach of Senegal, the country of his birth

Former Arsenal captain succeeds Pape Thiaw

Senegal reached last 32 of this summer’s World Cup

Senegal have appointed France’s 1998 World Cup winner Patrick Vieira as head coach, the country’s football federation announced, succeeding Pape Thiaw, who was dismissed in the wake of their World Cup exit.

The appointment of Vieira, who was born in Senegal, is a “strategic move”, the federation said in a social media post, aiming to “establish a high-level technical staff, in line with our country’s sporting ambitions”.