The 'Cinderella' story on the ivory bench of the Africa Cup: "I told my players not to give up, I didn't either"

In a stunning turn of events, three coaches have left their positions in the African Cup, shaking the benches of their respective national teams. Tom Saintfiet resigned as Gambia coach after losing all three games, while Ghana dismissed Chris Hughton for failing to advance to the next phase. However, the most surprising dismissal was that of Ivory Coast’s Jean-Louis Gasset, who was let go for “insufficient results”. Despite this, the Ivory Coast team managed to qualify for the round of 16 in a miraculous fashion, leading to their current situation of not having a coach for the upcoming match against Senegal.

Desperate to find a replacement, the Ivory Coast Football Federation even approached France to borrow Hervé Renard, the current coach of the French women’s team. However, their request was denied. With no other options available, Gasset’s former assistant, Emerse Fae, took over as coach for the team. Despite his lack of experience, Fae led the team to victory against Senegal in a closely contested match that went into extra time and penalties. This unexpected triumph has ignited dreams of winning the tournament, especially since other top favorites such as Senegal and Morocco have been eliminated. With a quarterfinal match against Mali coming up, the Ivorian team is filled with renewed hope and the support of their home crowd.

However, Fae remains cautious and urges his players to not get too carried away by the recent success. The 40-year-old coach, who had a modest playing career in France and England, understands the challenges that lie ahead. Despite his underdog status, Fae believes in his team’s capabilities and is determined to make the most of this unexpected opportunity. Only time will tell if this Cinderella story on the “ivory bench” will continue to unfold.