Ivory Coast Coach Clashes with Schweinsteiger Over German's Comments

Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé believes comments made by 2014 German World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger could be considered racist, after the former midfielder described African football as "wild" and "unconventional."

The Bayern Munich legend, serving as a commentator for German broadcaster ARD during the 2026 World Cup, stated before Germany's match against the "Elephants" that they needed to be "ready for the unexpected." He added that their opponents played "African football," which he characterized as "a bit unconventional at times, a little wild, and not so tactical." Germany defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 in their second Group E match last week.

When asked for his opinion after his team's 2-0 victory over Curaçao, which secured their second-place finish in the group and progression to the knockout stage, Faé told the media he was disappointed by Schweinsteiger's remarks.

"When you know football as he does, it's strange to speak that way... we would label it 'racist' if we called things by their true names. That's the situation. Nowadays, we live in a world where everyone is free to say what they think. I cannot change his perspective. I cannot change the way he speaks. What I can do is show on the field that African football is not just physical. We play very technically and very tactically," Emerse Faé stated.

The African team's coach mentioned that he was a fan of Schweinsteiger's playing style, and even one of his friends had nicknamed him "Bastian," but he didn't want to overthink the situation.

"I just hope it was an ill-considered statement and doesn't truly reflect what he thinks, but you know, that's life, that's football today. Nowadays, there are many commentators, many former players, who seek to create a sensation. He was a global star, but now he's somewhat forgotten, and that's why he's trying to create a sensation. If he truly thinks that way, fine. He's free to do so, but we will move forward and try to forget about it," Faé added.

Ivory Coast has qualified for the Round of 16, where they await the second-placed team from Group I, which includes France and Norway.