By Mark Gleeson BBC Sport Online

Senegal's World Cup heroes, without a coach since the defection of Bruno Metsu, are preparing to assemble on 1 September in Marseille to prepare for their first assignment in the African Nations Cup qualifiers.

The Senegalese federation has said the squad, which is still to be announced, will meet in the French city for a few day's training before heading to Lesotho, where they play their opening match in Group Eight.

But no successor has yet been named to replace Metsu, who is now coaching Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

The federation said it was now confirmed that Metsu's contract had been cancelled and there was no return in the offing for the coach, even if he had planned to spend just 10 months in the UAE.

Some of Senegal's major players, like African Footballer of the Year El Hadji Diouf, have threatened a future boycott if the coach is not allowed to return next July.

Senegal team spokesman Cheikh Tidiane Fall said there were at least "a dozen" potential coaching candidates under consideration for the job, but that Metsu's assistants Abdoulaye Sarr and Jules Bocande would hold the reigns in the interim.

The announcement of a week coach has been promised some time next month.

Senegal play Lesotho at the Setsoto stadium in Maseru on 8 September.