World Cup 2026: Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé slams Schweinsteiger over ‘racist’ remarks

Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé has taken a swipe at Germany legend Bastian Schweinsteiger following racial African Football remarks after the side secured their first-ever knockout stage World Cup qualification.

The Ivorians sealed their place in the knockout stage with a convincing 2-0 victory over Curacao, thanks to a brace from Nicolas Pépé. The winger opened the scoring in the seventh minute before adding a second goal in the 64th minute to secure all three points for the African side.

The result saw Ivory Coast finish second in their group with six points, level with Germany but behind the Europeans on goal difference.

Despite Ivory Coast’s impressive performance during the group phase, Schweinsteiger sparked controversy during his television analysis of Germany’s clash against the West Africans.

The former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder reportedly described African football as “chaotic”, “undisciplined” and “unconventional”.

His remarks quickly drew criticism from fans and football observers, with Faé becoming one of the most prominent voices to publicly condemn the comments.

“I think it’s unfortunate,” Faé said as quoted by Tribuna.

The Ivory Coast coach admitted he had long admired Schweinsteiger during his playing career and was disappointed to hear such remarks from someone he once respected greatly.

“He was a very good player, a great player. I liked him very much on a personal level, and as a former midfielder, I was always impressed by his playing style and his understanding of the game, to the point that a friend who trained with me, knowing how much I admired him, used to call me Bastian,” he said.

Faé then questioned how a respected football analyst and former international could make statements that many interpreted as offensive toward African football.

“So when I heard that comment, I was disappointed, disappointed in the man himself. When you are a football expert like him, it is strange to speak in a way that can be described as racist, if we want to call things by their real names,” he concluded.

The controversy has added tension to the World Cup atmosphere as African nations continue to impress on the global stage. Ivory Coast’s qualification was seen as another strong statement for African football, with the Elephants displaying tactical discipline, defensive organisation and attacking quality throughout the group stage.

Nicolas Pépé’s standout performance against Curacao also reignited praise for the former Arsenal winger, who has become one of Ivory Coast’s key attacking figures at the tournament.

Meanwhile, debate continues across social media and football circles over Schweinsteiger’s comments, with many supporters defending the progress and competitiveness of African football in recent years.