FIFA 2026 | 'Call it racist,' Ivory Coast coach hits out at ex-German player after R32 qualification
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA 2026 | 'Call it racist,' Ivory Coast coach hits out at ex-German player after R32 qualification")
Ivory Coast coach hits out at ex-German player after R32 qualification Photograph: (AFP)
FIFA 2026 | Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae called out former German player Bastian Schweinsteiger's comments on the team as ‘racist’ after the team qualifed for the maiden knockout stage in their football world cup history.
Ivory Coast are in Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 - something that hasn't happened for them ever in the tournament history. The West African nation beat Curacao 2-0 on Thursday (Jun 25) at Philadelphia Stadium to make history for themselves. After the win, Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae called out former German player Bastian Schweinsteiger's remarks about his team before the two sides had met last week. Fae said that the comments made by te ex-German player were 'racist' and he was 'disappointed by it.'
What had Schweinsteiger said about Ivory Coast?
The two sides had played on June 20 and German had won the contest 2-1 which sent the into the Round of 32. Before the match, Schweinsteiger made the comments on German broadcaster ARD on what the four-time champions could expect from the West African country.
"A bit African football, a bit unorthodox, a bit wild, a bit perhaps also not so conditioned by tactics. We have to be prepared for it to be unpredictable," Schweinsteiger had said.
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Ivory Coast coach hits out at ex-German player after R32 qualification Photograph: (AFP)
What did Fae say about Schweinsteiger?
After guiding his team to the maiden football World Cup knockout round, Fae slammed the comments and said: "We could call it racist, if we were calling a spade a spade."
"When I heard his comment, I was disappointed," Fae added. "Disappointed in the man. It is odd he would speak that way."
How did Ivory Coast qualify for Round of 32?
The West African country started their campaign with 1-0 win against Ecuador on June 14 at the Philadelphia Stadium before losing to Germany 1-2 a week later at the Toronto Stadium. In their final group-stage match of the tournament, Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 and ended with six points to finish behind Germany in the group standings to qualify for the Round of 32.
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Where to watch and live stream Ivory Coast's FIFA World Cup 2026 matches?
Ivory Coast's knockout matches in FIFA World Cup 2026 will be aired LIVE across WION's sister company Zee5 app and website. (link: https://www.zee5.com/)
