Aliou Cisse has been dismissed as Senegal's head coach after leading the Teranga Lions for nearly a decade.

During his nine and a half years at the helm, the 48-year-old led the team to its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) victory, clinching the 2021 title in February 2022.

Although his contract expired in August, Cisse continued to oversee Senegal's campaign, including their 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso and a 1-0 win against Burundi in the 2025 Afcon qualifiers last month.

Despite the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) seeking to renew his contract, the country's new government, led by Bassirou Diomaye Faye, opted to part ways with Cisse just over a week before the next set of qualifiers.

"The FSF would like to thank Aliou Cisse for his good collaboration and his brilliant results at the head of various national selections and wishes him every success for the future," a statement said.

Despite occasional friction between the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) and the government, which finances the national coach’s salary, the timing of this latest development has come as a surprise.

Aliou Cissé, who had already scheduled a press conference for Friday to reveal his squad for the upcoming double-header against Malawi, is at the center of attention.

Cissé, a former player with 35 caps for Senegal, has been at the helm since March 2015. His tenure has been instrumental in keeping the Teranga Lions at the top of Africa's football rankings for over four years.

Under his guidance, Senegal claimed their first Africa Cup of Nations title in a dramatic penalty shootout against Egypt in Cameroon. This victory came after narrowly missing out in 2019, where they finished as runners-up.

However, their attempt to defend the title earlier this year fell short when they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Ivory Coast, who went on to win the tournament after a tense penalty shootout.

Cissé also led Senegal to two FIFA World Cup appearances, in 2018 and 2022. They exited in the group stage in 2018 and reached the round of 16 in 2022, but Morocco overtook them as Africa’s highest-ranked team by the end of last year.

Currently, Senegal is placed second in their World Cup qualifying group, trailing group leaders Sudan by two points. With four matches played, the next round of qualifiers is scheduled for March 2024.

The FSF's statement said that Khady Diene Gaye, Senegal's Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, had not approved a one-year contract extension for Cisse in a letter it received on Monday.

It said the reasons behind the decision were the "failure to achieve the objectives assigned in November"2022"—namely reaching the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup and winning the 2023 Afcon title—the "regression" in the world rankings and "the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese in general".

The FSF is yet to announce an interim coaching team for the upcoming 2025 Afcon qualifiers against Malawi.

Cisse was part of Senegal’s first golden generation during his playing career, which included spells at Sedan, Paris St-Germain, Birmingham City and Portsmouth.

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.

Earlier that year, he had missed the decisive penalty in the shootout at the end of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations final against Cameroon, while in September 2002 he experienced personal tragedy in the Joola ferry disaster.

Eleven family members, including his sister, died when the ship, often labelled 'Africa's Titanic', sank off the coast of The Gambia.

He told BBC Sport Africa in 2022 that he still feels the effects of the tragedy, which he says he could easily have been part of.

"I can't even count how many times I took the ferry," he said.

"Every time I came back home, I travelled on the Joola. I could have easily been on the boat too, so I was lucky."

His coaching career started when he joined the FSF in 2011 and he first worked with Senegal's Under-23 team, including at the 2012 Olympics, before taking charge of the Teranga Lions following the departure of Alain Giresse.