Emerse Faé: "Not afraid of Ecuador or Germany"
A successful international break and a coach who clearly displays his ambitions for the upcoming deadlines. Emersé Faé looks back at his ambitions and the doubts surrounding the Ivorian national football team ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Philemon MBALE · Author profile ·
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Two clean-sheets and an iron defense for this gathering, Côte d'Ivoire is reassured on these two matches with a solid and unclimbable defensive base. Far from the memories of this failed 2025 AFCON in Morocco, a surprising elimination in the quarter-finals against Egypt (3-2). Six goals conceded in the entire competition, it’s a far cry from the standards displayed in World Cup qualification (0 goals conceded in 5 games).
Emerse Faé still insists in the mixed zone:
"On these 2 matches, we did 2 clean sheets, it’s really important. After that AFCON, where we scored a lot of goals but also conceded a lot of goals... so it’s important for us to be very good defensively.”
Eight different defenders were used during this truce, they all brought their touch and satisfaction, which poses a real selection problem for Emerse Faé: 26 players to be selected for the 2026 World Cup with still many names that can knock at the door of the selection.
«The hardest part starts now: the next list for the WC 2026»
Many players deserve to come to the World Cup, according to Emerse Faé. Indeed, many players who were absent during this break in England could claim a place among the 26 players, notably Yan Diomandé (injured), Ange Yoan Bonny (naturalized), Jean-Phillipe Krasso or the Ivorian neo-U23 who has just snubbed the French espoir squad: Kader Meité. For the 42-year-old Ivorian coach, nothing has been done yet, but he will rely on a solid foundation.
"There are players, we know we’re going to rely on them, we’ll continue to build on everything we’ve done over the past two years and we’ll try to make the best group for the country, the best group to go as far as possible in this competition."
A successful group combined with a group that lives well is also the key to having a successful competition. Faé is fully aware of it, the group lives well according to him, he has never seen such a state of mind in the Ivorian national team even at his time (44 selections)
Faé: "We can see players in our team who are in direct competition, but outside the field they are stuck."
Unity in the face of supporters' questions about the case of Franck Kessié
The 29-year-old player has been a target of Ivorian fans since the last AFCON in Morocco, considered "heavy", "slow" by some, "old" by others. It is a key part of the Faé system, the captain seems unshakeable and the coach clearly disagrees with his supporters who consider that the team could be in trouble during phases where the game will have to be faster. Faced with these questions, the coach is clear:
«When players are 30 years old, 29 years old, you want us to only take 18 or 19 year olds, you can’t win the World Cup with young players, it’s impossible... look at the teams from France or Brazil! They don’t only have young players so I don’t know why you can say that Kessié is a problem given his "age."
"I don’t want to play behind, it’s a way of playing but... I want to play!"
Dominant Ivorians: often criticized, Faé’s men showed a completely different face in these two matches with men filled with desire and domination, a pressing at the "panties" against Scotland (0-1) or a realism to any test against South Korea (0-4). Emerse Faé doesn’t want to leave for the World Cup as a sideline, and for good reason: Côte d'Ivoire has never left the group stages of the World Cup.
A challenge that promises to be significant with a group made up of Curaçao, Ecuador and Germany. But Faé is clear about his game philosophy. Côte d'Ivoire does not come to the World Cup to watch others play.
«I don’t want to play behind, it’s a way of playing but I want to play, I don’t want to stay behind, I’m not afraid of Ecuador or Germany... I’m not afraid. I play to score goals, not to wait behind just to look for an opportunity to have a counterattack... That’s not my philosophy."
A clear and accepted game philosophy, a goal that will be to take match by match deadlines. The Côte d'Ivoire team has all the ingredients to go as far as possible. Next and last event before the World Cup, a match against France on June 4 in Nantes, at La Beaujoire. The opportunity for Emerse Fae to confirm where he played as a young player from 1995 to 2003 and professional player from 2003 to 2007.