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Emerse Fae was appointed Ivory Coast’s interim coach after Jean-Louis Gasset was axed following a poor outing at the AFCON 2023 group stages.
Host nation Ivory Coast have brilliantly claimed a third Africa Cup of Nations title and their second in nine years.
The Elephants finished third in group A behind Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria but progressed to the knockouts as one of the best third-placed teams.
Infact, in their third group outing, Ivory Coast were walloped 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea. That result ensured the Serge Aurier-captained side finished the group with three points.
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After winning the tournament’s opening match 2-0 against Guinea-Bissau, they lost 1-0 against Nigeria.
While awaiting their round of 16 fate, the hosts sacked Gasset with immediate effect.
Emerse Fae leads Ivory Coast on at AFCON
Emerse Fae was appointed as interim boss on 24 January, the same day he turned 40. It was an uphill task. Ivory Coast were in a state of dejection and had put Ivorians in disappointment while on the brink of elimination.
Many tagged their lucky last 16 qualification as a ‘second chance.’ Of course, it was a big and important shot at redemption.
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The players held their destiny in their hands from then on, eliminating defending champions Senegal via penalties to book a quarter-final spot.
Fae was praised for helping to revive the once poor and largely reviled Ivorian team. Next stop was another crucial match up against Mali.
Yahia Fofana saved a penalty in the first half before the Elephants were reduced to ten men. Bayer Leverkusen defender Odilon Kossounou was shown a second yellow just before halftime.
Although Mali went ahead in the 71st minute, the Ivorians scored a late equaliser on the stroke of 90. Substitute Simon Adingra squeezed in a close-range shot while sandwiched between two Malian players.
There was even more drama in extra time when the hosts scored in the very last minute. Another substitute Oumar Diakité skillfully scored after diverting Seko Fofana’s shot past Djigui Diarra.
Ivory Coast’s redemption story a beautiful fairytale
The semifinals was a battle. By now, Fae had established a strong, tough and resilient team ready to go all out to make their nation proud.
A hard-fought 1-0 win against DR Congo sent Ivory Coast to the final where they battled the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Sébastien Haller scored the only goal of that encounter.
He would go on to score the winner in a 2-1 victory against Nigeria. Captain William Troost-Ekong had earlier put the Jose Peseiro -tutored side in front with a powerful header.
However, just as they dominated in the first half, Ivory Coast made their possession count when they drew level with Franck Kessié’s header in the second half.
Ivory Coast outplayed their opponents on the night and deservedly won the game, claiming the title in the process.
Who is Emerse Fae?
Emerse Fae was born in 1984 in France. He played for the French team at the youth level before switching his allegiance to Ivory Coast.
At club level, Fae played for Nantes before he joined Reading in 2007. He made a return to France, this time signing for Nice, where he rounded off his playing career in 2012. Fae claimed 57 caps for the French club.
Upon retirement, the 40-year-old managed French club Clermont Foot’s reserve team in 2021. A year later, he was appointed Ivory Coast’s U23 team manager and Gasset’s assistant for the senior team.
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It is now widely expected that Emerse Fae will successfully secure the Ivory Coast job permanently after this AFCON victory.
After miraculously turning around the fortunes of the Elephants, some quarters have chosen to address Fae as the ‘Special One’ but the manager has quickly rejected such tag.
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