Emerse Fae, who guided Ivory Coast to victory in the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this month, has been named the country’s full-time coach, according to the president of the football federation.
The 40-year-old Fae served as an assistant coach when the Ivory Coast tournament began last month, but he took over as head coach after Frenchman Jean Louis Gasset was sacked after the Ivorians lost two of their three group games.
As the final of the four best third-place finishers, they still managed to make it into the knockout stages and went on to win the trophy as Fae pulled off an incredible comeback.
Idriss Diallo, the president of the Ivorian Football Federation, was present at an event in Abidjan on Monday. The information was verified by the Ivorian media on Tuesday.
“Emerse Fae was until now interim coach. He is now confirmed as a permanent coach,”
A former Ivorian international of French descent, he represented his nation in three Cup of Nations and the Germany 2006 World Cup.
His first assignment is to play friendlies in March (the exact dates are still pending), followed by 2026 World Cup qualifying matches in June against Kenya and Gabon.
The only coaching experience Fae has had is coaching the junior team at Nice, a French club, and the reserve team at Clermont Foot.
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