AFCON 2023: Ivory Coast Triumph ‘Revenge’ For Emerse Fae After Early Retirement1 min read

The 40-year-old was named as interim coach of the Elephants midway through the tournament, and capped a remarkable run through the knockout stages with a 2-1 win over Nigeria on Sunday.

Fae was part of the Ivorian side that finished runners-up at the 2006 Nations Cup finals – a campaign in which he played in every match – but had hung up his boots because of vein inflammation issues in his legs by the time the West Africans lifted the trophy in 2015.

“It’s a revenge for me, on football and on life in general, because I had to stop playing at 28 as it was jeopardising my health,” Fae told Newsday on the BBC World Service.

“Since then, I’ve decided I was going to win every trophy as a manager that I did not win as a player. I had this idea in mind for a very long time.”