The Côte d’Ivoire Federation have confirmed that Emerse Faé will leave his position as head coach upon the expiry of his contract on July 31, ESPN reports.

Faé, who took over the Ivory Coast midway through their Africa Cup of Nations campaign on home soil in 2024 — following a disastrous group stage — inspired the team to the final, where they defeated Nigeria to win a third continental crown.

He also qualified the Elephants to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, before taking them to the knockout stages for the first time in their history, at the fourth attempt.

“The Executive Committee of the Ivorian Football Federation expresses its profound gratitude to Mr. Emerse Faé for his commitment, professionalism, and the services he rendered as head of the senior national team throughout his collaboration with the Federation,” the statement, as received by ESPN, began.

“It commends his contribution to the development of the national team and the results achieved under his leadership, which will remain an important part of the recent history of Ivorian football.

“The Executive Committee extends its sincerest wishes to Mr. Emerse Faé for every success in the continuation of his professional career.”

His exit concludes one of the most astonishing managerial reigns in the country’s history, as the former international midfielder, then without any senior coaching experience, was thrust into the job on an interim basis.

This was during the 2023 AFCON, after Jean-Louis Gasset was dismissed following a humiliating 4-0 demolition by Equatorial Guinea in Abidjan.

Despite appearing dead and buried, an unlikely combination of results in the other groups allowed them to progress to the knockouts as one of the best third-placed teams, where Faé went on to oversee one of Africa’s greatest ever tournament stories.

James Agberebi

James is a sport content creator and also does analysis on sports. Also, James has covered international matches involving both Nigeria’s men and women national teams. Facebook : James Agberebi