Emerse Fae: From interim to permanent coach of Ivory Coast after AFCON glory
Prince Jean
Feb 21, 2024
Emerse Fae, the architect behind Ivory Coast's remarkable triumph in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, has secured a permanent coaching position with the national team. The 40-year-old took charge on an interim basis during the group stage, inheriting a challenging situation following a 4-0 home defeat by Equatorial Guinea and the departure of Jean-Louis Gasset.
Despite initial setbacks, Fae orchestrated an impressive turnaround as the Ivorians navigated through the knockout stages. The journey included overcoming Senegal in a penalty shootout, a dramatic comeback against Mali with 10 men in the quarter-finals, and a resilient performance against DR Congo in the semi-finals. The climax saw Ivory Coast rallying from a goal down to secure a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in the final, clinching their third continental title.
Idriss Diallo, the president of the Ivorian Football Federation, officially confirmed this National Team Legend's permanent appointment as head coach on Monday, without disclosing the length of his contract.
In a related development, former Ivory Coast coach Jean-Louis Gasset has been appointed as the new manager for Marseille in the French Ligue 1, succeeding Gennaro Gattuso, who was relieved of his duties.
Meanwhile, Liberia has strategically appointed Mario Marinica, the former coach of Malawi, as their head coach on a two-year deal ahead of the 2025 Nations Cup qualifying campaign. The Lone Stars are set to face Djibouti in a two-legged preliminary round tie next month. The winners of these preliminary ties will advance to join the top 44 African teams in the main qualifying draw for the 2025 finals, scheduled to be held in Morocco.
Notably, the dates for the 2025 tournament are yet to be announced, with potential considerations for a clash with the Fifa Club World Cup in June and July next year.
The preliminary qualifying round draw for the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 includes matchups such as Somalia vs. Eswatini, Sao Tome and Principe vs. South Sudan, Chad vs. Mauritius, and Djibouti vs. Liberia. These two-legged ties are scheduled to take place between March 20 and 26.[bbc.com]
