Ivory Coast manager Emerse Fae has accused former Germany and Bayern Munich star Bastian Schweinsteiger of racism following comments made about African football.
Schweinsteiger made the remarks while appearing as a pitchside analyst ahead of Germany’s World Cup clash with Ivory Coast, describing their style of play on Magenta.
The former Manchester United midfielder said the Ivory Coast played “a bit African, a bit unorthodox, a bit wild, and perhaps also a bit less constrained by tactics.”
Schweinsteiger added that Germany would “have to be prepared for it to be unpredictable,” comments that quickly drew significant criticism from the Ivory Coast camp.
Fae had not been made aware of Schweinsteiger’s remarks immediately following the Germany clash, but the comments were brought to his attention after Ivory Coast’s own win over Curacao.
Germany themselves fell to a 2-1 defeat against Ecuador but had already qualified from their group as winners, following victories over Ivory Coast and Curacao.
Fae did not hold back when responding to Schweinsteiger’s characterisation of African football, openly suggesting the language used could be considered racist.
“It is regrettable. We could call it racist. When I heard his comment, I was disappointed. I have no choice but to accept it,” Fae was quoted as saying by Cadena Cope.
The Ivory Coast coach also pushed back firmly on the suggestion that African football lacks tactical sophistication, insisting his team operates across all areas of the game.
“I don’t agree with him. All I can do is show that we play not only physically but also tactically and technically. Schweinsteiger is a global star who may have faded from the spotlight and perhaps needs a bit of attention,” Fae added.
Schweinsteiger’s comments drew widespread attention given their framing of African football as unpredictable and lacking the structured discipline associated with European styles of play.
The language used carries uncomfortable echoes of historical stereotypes that have long been used to diminish African athletes and teams on the world stage.
Fae’s response was measured but pointed, and reflects a broader frustration among African footballing nations at being consistently underestimated or misrepresented in mainstream punditry.
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