A miracle.
In the mouth of Emerse Faé, coach of Ivory Coast, qualification for the round of 16 of CAN 2024 is still an enigma for the former FC Nantes defender.
“It was very difficult, I couldn't believe that we lost 4-0 (against Equatorial Guinea) and that we were almost eliminated,” he admits to AS.
Criticized from all sides, Jean-Louis Gasset will be pushed towards the exit before taking the reins of OM.
The French coach will leave his place to Emerse Faé, who will take over a defeated group after the first round.
“The atmosphere in the locker room was catastrophic, no one spoke, everyone had their faces covered and their eyes full of tears,” he remembers, after the heavy defeat against Equatorial Guinea.
Read alsoCAN 2024: Fofana, Haller, Diakité… the key men in the Ivory Coast coronation
Hastily dispatched by the Federation to take over a team in distress, the former coach of the Clermont Foot reserve team took the Elephants to the continental title, at home against Nigeria (2-1).
“The president called me to ask me if I felt capable of replacing the resigning coach, and I did not hesitate to take up the challenge, even with the rumors about Hervé Renard,” he confides.
A challenge accomplished wonderfully since he was recently confirmed as coach.
Also read “We must find joy”: the three days that saved Ivory Coast from a CAN fiasco
He is now looking forward to the next events, with CAN 2025 and the 2026 World Cup in his sights. “We have two objectives: to qualify for the next African Cup and to defend our title in Morocco, and we qualify for the next World Cup by reaching at least the quarter-finals,” he hopes.
Ivory Coast will return in June for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Gabon and Kenya.