The story of Emerse Fae as the AFCON-winning manager of Ivory Coast national team is one for the ages. A nation known for their giant presence in African football was on the frays when Emerse Fae emerged as the unassuming and unlikely hero. Previously working among the coaching staff as assistant manager to Louis Gasset, Fae was picked as interim successor to Jean-Louis Gasset, a French football veteran.
Gasset was shown the exit door after Ivory Coast, 2023 AFCON hosts, collapsed like a pack of cards in Group A. It was a pretty good start for the Elephants with an opening 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau but straight defeats in the last two group games against Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea was a hard pill to swallow for the hosts.
Their hopes of qualifying for the knockout was on the frays, and something needed to be done exigently. Louis Gasset was sacked after Ivory Coast's heavy defeat to Equatorial Guinea in their final group A game.
Emerse Fae was thrust into the spotlight after he emerged as the successor to Jean-Louis Gasset on an interim basis. Luckily, Ivory Coast sneaked into the knockout of the tournament, thanks to Zambia's loss to Morocco in Group D final game.
With just 13 days in the reins as Cote D'Ivoire interim boss, Fae, with no first-team coaching experience, did the magic, transforming the 2023 AFCON Group A weeping boys into menacing opponents in the knockout and subsequently title winners.
Who is Emerse Fae?
Emerse Fae is a former Ivory Coast national team player turned manager. Fae was born and raised in Nantes, France where he nurtured his football career. He started his career in 1990 playing for FC Malakoff before joining FC Toutes-Aides in 1994. After a four-year stint with amateur French clubs, Fae closed in on his big break in 1995 when he was scouted and signed by Nantes academy.
He played for Nantes youth for eight years from 1995 to 2003 before finally making the long-awaited transition to the first team.
Playing as a midfielder, Emerse Fae recorded 106 appearances for Nantes in the French elite division, scoring 9 goals. His spell with the Ligue 1 giants happened to be the peak point of his career as he struggled to return to top-level following a move to Reading in the Premier League in 2007. At Reading Fae struggled for minutes. He made only 8 appearances for the club before returning to France on loan to Nice in 2009.
At Nice, the would-be Ivory Coast manager breathed life back into his career. He made 32 appearances for the club, scoring 3 goals. Following an impressive loan shift with the Ligue 1 outfit, he was contracted to the club permanently.
He registered an additional 57 appearances for Nice, scoring 7 more goals before calling time on his career in 2012.
Emerse Fae international career
The Nantes-born midfielder played for France at the youth levels. He featured for France's U17 and U21 youth teams before switching his international allegiance to Ivory Coast.
Fae made his debut for Ivory Coast national team in 2005. He was capped 47 times with the team before he hung the boots in 2012.
Emerse Fae managerial career
Fae had no previous first-team coaching experience before his accidental spell with Ivory Coast as manager. After his playing career, he bagged his football coaching diploma with his former club Nice's Training Center in 2013. He then managed Nice's U-17 and U-19 in the 2018/19 season before being appointed Clermont reserve team manager in 2021.
After his spell with Clermont reserve team, Fae was appointed Ivory Coast U23 manager in 2023, and he worked closely with Jean-Louis Gasset as assistant manager. He was appointed Gasset's interim successor after the latter was sacked during the 2023 AFCON.
Emerse Fae age
Emerse Fae was born on January 24, 1984. He is 40 years old and will be celebrating his 41st birthday in January 2025.
Gasset was shown the exit door after Ivory Coast, 2023 AFCON hosts, collapsed like a pack of cards in Group A. It was a pretty good start for the Elephants with an opening 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau but straight defeats in the last two group games against Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea was a hard pill to swallow for the hosts.
Their hopes of qualifying for the knockout was on the frays, and something needed to be done exigently. Louis Gasset was sacked after Ivory Coast's heavy defeat to Equatorial Guinea in their final group A game.
Emerse Fae was thrust into the spotlight after he emerged as the successor to Jean-Louis Gasset on an interim basis. Luckily, Ivory Coast sneaked into the knockout of the tournament, thanks to Zambia's loss to Morocco in Group D final game.
With just 13 days in the reins as Cote D'Ivoire interim boss, Fae, with no first-team coaching experience, did the magic, transforming the 2023 AFCON Group A weeping boys into menacing opponents in the knockout and subsequently title winners.
Who is Emerse Fae?
Emerse Fae is a former Ivory Coast national team player turned manager. Fae was born and raised in Nantes, France where he nurtured his football career. He started his career in 1990 playing for FC Malakoff before joining FC Toutes-Aides in 1994. After a four-year stint with amateur French clubs, Fae closed in on his big break in 1995 when he was scouted and signed by Nantes academy.
He played for Nantes youth for eight years from 1995 to 2003 before finally making the long-awaited transition to the first team.
Playing as a midfielder, Emerse Fae recorded 106 appearances for Nantes in the French elite division, scoring 9 goals. His spell with the Ligue 1 giants happened to be the peak point of his career as he struggled to return to top-level following a move to Reading in the Premier League in 2007. At Reading Fae struggled for minutes. He made only 8 appearances for the club before returning to France on loan to Nice in 2009.
At Nice, the would-be Ivory Coast manager breathed life back into his career. He made 32 appearances for the club, scoring 3 goals. Following an impressive loan shift with the Ligue 1 outfit, he was contracted to the club permanently.
He registered an additional 57 appearances for Nice, scoring 7 more goals before calling time on his career in 2012.
Emerse Fae international career
The Nantes-born midfielder played for France at the youth levels. He featured for France's U17 and U21 youth teams before switching his international allegiance to Ivory Coast.
Fae made his debut for Ivory Coast national team in 2005. He was capped 47 times with the team before he hung the boots in 2012.
Emerse Fae managerial career
Fae had no previous first-team coaching experience before his accidental spell with Ivory Coast as manager. After his playing career, he bagged his football coaching diploma with his former club Nice's Training Center in 2013. He then managed Nice's U-17 and U-19 in the 2018/19 season before being appointed Clermont reserve team manager in 2021.
After his spell with Clermont reserve team, Fae was appointed Ivory Coast U23 manager in 2023, and he worked closely with Jean-Louis Gasset as assistant manager. He was appointed Gasset's interim successor after the latter was sacked during the 2023 AFCON.
Emerse Fae age
Emerse Fae was born on January 24, 1984. He is 40 years old and will be celebrating his 41st birthday in January 2025.