Emerse Fae: Ivory Coast appoint Afcon-winning coach on permanent deal

Emerse Fae has been appointed as Ivory Coast coach on a permanent deal after leading the Elephants to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title.

The 40-year-old took over on an interim basis after Jean-Louis Gasset departed during the group stage of the finals, where the West Africans had lost two games including a record 4-0 home defeat by Equatorial Guinea.

But the Ivorians progressed as the last of the four best third-placed teams and Fae oversaw an incredible turnaround for the tournament hosts in the knockout stages.

The Elephants saw off holders Senegal on penalties and then came from behind with 10 men to beat Mali in the quarter-finals after extra-time.

After defeating DR Congo in the last four, Ivory Coast recovered from a goal down to beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final in Abidjan on 11 February and win their third continental title.

Ivorian Football Federation president Idriss Diallo confirmed the appointment on Monday, but did not disclose the length of Fae’s contract.

“Emerse was until now interim coach and has just been confirmed as full coach,” Diallo said.

On Tuesday, Gasset was confirmed as Marseille’s new manager after the French Ligue 1 club sacked Gennaro Gattuso.

Meanwhile, Liberia have appointed former Malawi coach Mario Marinica as their boss on a two-year deal ahead of the start of their 2025 Nations Cup qualifying campaign.

The Lone Stars will face Djibouti in a two-legged preliminary round tie next month.

The winners of the four preliminary ties will join the 44 highest-ranked African sides in the main qualifying draw for the 2025 finals, which will be held in Morocco.

The dates for the 2025 tournament are yet to be announced amid a potential clash with the Fifa Club World Cup in June and July next year.