Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae has expressed confidence in the integrity of officiating ahead of his team’s quarter-final encounter with Egypt in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The match is set to kick off on Saturday at 20:00 GMT+1, and Fae insists that his focus remains firmly on delivering a performance that reflects the high standards of African football.
He insists that regardless of where the match referee is from, the Elephants will honour the match without any issue.
“Even if I am told tomorrow that the referee is Egyptian, since I have no way of influencing that, we will go and play with the Egyptian referee,” Fae said during a pre-match press conference.
He added, “And if the referee is Moroccan, I believe that referees have a duty to be objective, and they will manage this match without any favoritism. That is their duty, especially since the match will be watched by the whole world.”
Fae added that he trusts officials to uphold the reputation of African football.
“I don’t think the Moroccan referee would want to give a bad impression of African football, quite the opposite. I have no problem with this, and I know things will go well. Besides, the Moroccans are our brothers too; even though they are our neighbours to Egypt, they remain our brothers, and I have no worries about that.”
He concluded by emphasising the importance of a fair and entertaining contest.
“Even if the referee is Moroccan, he will deliver a good match, both teams will perform well, and there will be an enjoyable football spectacle as has been the case since the beginning of the tournament. The only winner in this story will be African football,” he noted.
