“He knows what the players feel”: Emerse Faé, the plan C that saved Ivory Coast at the CAN

2024-02-03 08:08:47

Who else but an Elephant to lead the Elephants to the promised land? Their march forward includes a quarter-final against Mali in Bouaké this Saturday (6 p.m.). Emerse Faé, 40 years old, finalist of the CAN as a player in 2006, has taken on the features of a guide since the exploit of the qualification against Senegal, the outgoing winner, in the round of 16, Monday, four days after his parachuting on the bench.

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Faced with the national indignity born from the rout against Equatorial Guinea (4-0) during the last group match, on January 22, coach Jean-Louis Gasset preferred to throw in the towel, even though the Côte d’ Ivoire had snatched a qualification at a discount for the final phase. In an old conservative reflex, Ivorian leaders first approached Hervé Renard, who already led the Elephants to the 2015 title.