Former Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has reportedly emerged as a leading candidate to take charge of Ghana’s Black Stars, with talks said to be underway between the coach and Ghanaian football authorities.
Gambian football outlet GamFoot reports that negotiations between Thiaw and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) have progressed, although neither the GFA nor the Ministry of Sports has officially confirmed that an agreement has been reached.
The GFA and the Ministry on October 2 announced the formation of a five-member committee tasked with identifying, assessing and recommending a suitable successor to the vacant Black Stars coaching position.
The committee, chaired by former GFA vice-president Fred Pappoe, has been given until October 9, 2026, to submit its recommendations.
Thiaw has been without a national-team appointment since the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) initiated proceedings to end his tenure in July following Senegal’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The FSF said the decision followed an assessment of Senegal’s World Cup campaign and the team’s future prospects.
Senegal were eliminated by Belgium after extra time in the Round of 32, having earlier suffered group-stage defeats to France and Norway.
The West African nation has since appointed former France international Patrick Vieira as Thiaw’s replacement.
During his time in charge, Thiaw led Senegal to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final. Senegal initially defeated Morocco 1-0 after extra time, but CAF’s Appeal Board later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final over the team’s conduct and recorded the result as a 3-0 victory for Morocco.
Reports linking Thiaw with the Black Stars job come after Ghana parted ways with Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz following a disappointing start to the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The Black Stars opened their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire before suffering a 4-2 home loss to The Gambia. The results led to Queiroz’s departure by mutual consent.
Queiroz managed Ghana in seven matches during his latest stint, recording just one victory.
Ghana is now expected to turn its attention to the upcoming 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia in November, with the search for a new head coach ongoing.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar.