After leading the Elephants of Ivory Coast to victory at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Emerse Fae has been appointed as the permanent coach of the country.
The 40-year-old was initially an assistant coach in the Ivory Coast national team during the tournament but took over the team after French coach Jean Louis Gasset was fired due to the team's underwhelming performance in the group stage.
Despite this, Ivory Coast was able to advance to the knockout stages and ultimately won the title under Fae's leadership, marking a remarkable turnaround for the team.
The team saw off holders Senegal on penalties and then came from behind with 10 men to beat Mali in the quarter-finals after extra time.
After defeating DR Congo in the last four, Ivory Coast recovered from a goal down to beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final in Abidjan on 11 February to win their third continental title.
While Emerse Fae has been appointed as the full-time coach of the Ivory Coast team, former coach Gasset was also confirmed as Marseille's new manager after the French Ligue 1 club sacked Gennaro Gattuso.
Fae's appointment was announced by Ivorian Football Federation president Idriss Diallo at a function in Abidjan on Monday, February 19, but the Ivorian media reported it on Tuesday, February 20.
Diallo said: “Emerse Fae was until now interim coach. He is now confirmed as a permanent coach."
Fae’s coaching experience was limited to working with the juniors at French club Nice and serving as the reserves coach at Clermont Foot before this opportunity.
Fae is a former professional footballer, born in France, who played as a midfielder and currently serves as the manager of the Ivory Coast national football team.
He represented France at youth level and Ivory Coast at the senior international level.
During his career, he participated in three Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Unfortunately, he was unable to win any major trophies for Ivory Coast and was forced to retire at the age of 28 due to health issues.
He now aims to win the trophies he missed out on as a player.
Following the AFCON victory, Fae said: “It’s revenge for me, on football and life in general, because I had to stop playing at 28 as it was jeopardizing my health."
“Since then, I’ve decided I was going to win every trophy as a manager that I did not win as a player.”
Fae will begin his first assignment with Ivory Coast as a permanent coach in March as the Elephant will be participating in friendly matches, which are not officially confirmed yet.
Following this, in June, he will compete in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Gabon and Kenya.
The 40-year-old was initially an assistant coach in the Ivory Coast national team during the tournament but took over the team after French coach Jean Louis Gasset was fired due to the team's underwhelming performance in the group stage.
Despite this, Ivory Coast was able to advance to the knockout stages and ultimately won the title under Fae's leadership, marking a remarkable turnaround for the team.
The team saw off holders Senegal on penalties and then came from behind with 10 men to beat Mali in the quarter-finals after extra time.
After defeating DR Congo in the last four, Ivory Coast recovered from a goal down to beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final in Abidjan on 11 February to win their third continental title.
While Emerse Fae has been appointed as the full-time coach of the Ivory Coast team, former coach Gasset was also confirmed as Marseille's new manager after the French Ligue 1 club sacked Gennaro Gattuso.
Fae's appointment was announced by Ivorian Football Federation president Idriss Diallo at a function in Abidjan on Monday, February 19, but the Ivorian media reported it on Tuesday, February 20.
Diallo said: “Emerse Fae was until now interim coach. He is now confirmed as a permanent coach."
Fae’s coaching experience was limited to working with the juniors at French club Nice and serving as the reserves coach at Clermont Foot before this opportunity.
Who is Emerse Fae?
Fae is a former professional footballer, born in France, who played as a midfielder and currently serves as the manager of the Ivory Coast national football team.
He represented France at youth level and Ivory Coast at the senior international level.
During his career, he participated in three Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Unfortunately, he was unable to win any major trophies for Ivory Coast and was forced to retire at the age of 28 due to health issues.
He now aims to win the trophies he missed out on as a player.
Following the AFCON victory, Fae said: “It’s revenge for me, on football and life in general, because I had to stop playing at 28 as it was jeopardizing my health."
“Since then, I’ve decided I was going to win every trophy as a manager that I did not win as a player.”
What's next?
Fae will begin his first assignment with Ivory Coast as a permanent coach in March as the Elephant will be participating in friendly matches, which are not officially confirmed yet.
Following this, in June, he will compete in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Gabon and Kenya.