In February 2024, Tiémoué Bakayoko hinted at a possible move to the Côte d'Ivoire national team. The Lorient midfielder, who was capped once with France in 2017, is still eligible to wear the Elephants' jersey.But in an interview with 90 Football, Ivorian coach Emerse Faé set the record straight. Asked whether Bakayoko's thinly veiled calls were tiring him, the African champion clarified his thoughts.
" It's not that I'm tired of it. It's that he (Bakayoko) is in his situation where he was in the French team (in 2017) but he also has Ivorian origins that mean he can play for us. Today, he's between the two. That's his right. But we're not going to go after players who are in between. We're really going to go for players who are 100% sure and ready to come and fight for the country. But frankly, it didn't upset me. I just wanted to give our state of mind with the staff, so that there's no confusion between the players and us ".
Emerse Faé continues: "You have to start from the principle that you are Ivorian. Some are Ivorians because they were born here, others because their parents are Ivorians. The most important thing is not to know what kind of Ivorian you are, but to know if you're ready to fight for Côte d'Ivoire. Whether you were born at home or in France of Ivorian parents, for me, there's no difference. You are simply Ivorian ".
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