Ivory Coast manager Emerse Fae has accused former Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger of racism following comments the pundit made about African football.
Schweinsteiger, who enjoyed a decorated career at Bayern Munich, Manchester United and with the German national team, appeared as a pundit for Germany’s World Cup clash with Ivory Coast.
During his pundit role, Schweinsteiger described Ivory Coast’s style of play as “a bit African, a bit unorthodox, a bit wild, and perhaps also a bit less constrained by tactics.”
He added that Germany would “have to be prepared for it to be unpredictable,” framing African football as less organised and less tactically sophisticated than European counterparts.
Fae was not made aware of the comments immediately after the match against Germany, only learning of them following Ivory Coast’s subsequent win over Curacao.
Once informed, the Ivory Coast manager did not hold back, questioning Schweinsteiger’s motivations and suggesting the remarks crossed a clear line.
“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.
Fae went further in his response, suggesting Schweinsteiger may have been seeking relevance with his provocative characterisation of African football.
“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.
Germany had already progressed from the group stage as winners by the time they faced Ecuador on Thursday, having secured victories over both Ivory Coast and Curacao prior to that match.
Die Mannschaft fell to a 2-1 defeat against Ecuador but their place at the top of the group had already been secured before that result came in.
Fae’s reaction has drawn attention to the broader issue of how African football is discussed and characterised within mainstream European media coverage.
The comparisons Schweinsteiger drew upon carry uncomfortable echoes of longstanding colonial narratives that have historically dismissed African culture, organisation, and intellect on the world stage.
Ivory Coast’s progression through the tournament offers a direct rebuttal to those characterisations, with Fae determined to let his side’s performances do the talking moving forward.
