Emerse Fae Appointed As Ivory Coast Head Coach After Winning 2023 AFCON

Ivorian Football Federation has appointed Emerse Fae as the permanent head coach of Ivory Coast after leading them to win the 2023 AFCON.

Emerse Fae, who had never headed a senior team before the 2023 AFCON, started the tournament as Jean-Louis Gasset’s assistant coach.

Unfortunately, the 70-year-old Gasset led the Ivorians to a 1-0 defeat to the Super Eagles of Nigeria and a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Equatorial Guinea in the group stage.

After the two successive defeats, the Ivorian FA sacked the French tactician as the side finished third in Group A and qualified for the round of 16 as one of the four best losers.

From that point, Emerse Fae, who replaced Gasset in an interim capacity, found a way to change the dynamics of the team and recorded no defeat in the rest of the tournament. They crowned their efforts by beating Nigeria 2-1 in the final on February 11.

After the victory, which earned Ivory Coast their third AFCON, Fae and the rest of the team were handsomely awarded with money and mansions.

To crown it all, the 40-year-old Ivorian tactician has been confirmed as the country’s head coach, according to Ivorian Football Federation president Idriss Diallo.

“Emerse was until now interim coach and has just been confirmed as a full coach,” Diallo said.

Interestingly, Emerse Fae was made the permanent coach of Ivory Coast hours before French Ligue 1 club, Olympique Marseille, confirmed Gasset as their new manager.