*“It happened all of a sudden, without…”: Emerse Fae recounts her dismissal*

In an interview with L'Équipe, Emerse Fae revealed the circumstances under which the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) informed him that his contract as head coach of the Elephants would not be renewed. "Yesterday morning (Friday), the management called me to tell me there would be no extension. It happened suddenly, without explanation," the 42-year-old coach confided.

The 2024 African champion didn't see it coming. "After the World Cup, we were in discussions about an extension," he shared, before adding, "[...] They acknowledge that the work was done well, that they envisioned a future with us, but after yet another meeting between management, it became clear that they wouldn't follow through. I'm not one to ask for explanations. I accepted it, that's how it is."

But the frustration is there. “This team has enormous potential. I’m frustrated because with this group and everything we’d built, we had the opportunity to take Ivory Coast even further,” declared the 2024 African champion. “Even before the World Cup, I was saying that with this team’s potential, 2026 would allow us to learn while remaining ambitious. Of the 26 players, 26 were newcomers, including myself as coach. I knew we were going to show what we could do and gain experience with 2030 in mind.”

With this in mind, Emerse Fae had a plan. “When I signed permanently after the Africa Cup of Nations, I had a project focused on the development of Ivorian football, beyond just results. I didn't want to limit myself to the senior national team. We implemented, for the first time in Ivory Coast, training programs for physical trainers. The trainees appreciated them, and I also participated in the training sessions. With my staff and the goalkeeping coach, we also started to implement a training program for young goalkeepers with high potential, who needed specific work. It was also the first time we had a nutritionist.”

While he believes he deserved to continue his mission ("I think I did my job well"), the now-former Elephants coach is grateful: "I still want to thank the Federation for the opportunity. When I arrived as assistant coach, I had no professional experience, so they gave me my chance. You have to have the guts to do it in the middle of a competition and in the midst of turmoil. There aren't many federation presidents who would have done that. I, too, was fortunate enough to develop and grow with this team. I also want to thank all my players."

Under Fae's leadership, Ivory Coast, in particular, won the 2024 AFCON, qualified once again for the World Cup (2026) and reached the second round of the prestigious competition for the first time, eliminated in the round of 32 by Norway.