Fae faults Schweinsteiger over ‘African football’ comment

Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae criticized Bastian Schweinsteiger’s description of his team’s style after Ivory Coast reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. The comments drew attention because they came from a former Germany star whom Fae said he had long admired.

Reuters reported that Fae spoke after Nicolas Pepe scored twice in a 2-0 win over Curacao on Thursday. The result sent Ivory Coast through from Group E and ended Curacao’s World Cup campaign.

Fae was asked about remarks Schweinsteiger made as a pundit for German public broadcaster ARD before Germany’s 2-1 win over Ivory Coast in Toronto, Reuters reported. DW.com characterized Schweinsteiger’s analysis as saying the Ivorians played “African football,” which he described as “a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical.”

Fae, 42, said he was hurt by the remarks because of Schweinsteiger’s standing in the game and his own regard for the former midfielder. Fae said friends had sometimes called him “Bastian” because of his admiration for Schweinsteiger.

“I think it’s sad,” Fae said, according to Reuters. “He was a very, very good player; a great player.”

Fae said he had respected Schweinsteiger’s qualities as a midfielder, including his reading of the game. He added that hearing the comments left him “disappointed in the man.”

“Because when you know football the way he knows it, it’s odd that you would speak that way, which we could call racist if we were calling a spade a spade, but that’s the way it is,” Fae said, according to Reuters.

Schweinsteiger has not publicly addressed the remarks in the days since, Reuters reported. He spent parts of 13 seasons with Bayern Munich, winning eight league titles and the UEFA Champions League, and was part of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning team.

Ivory Coast advances

The debate followed a landmark night for Ivory Coast. Reuters reported that Fae’s team defeated Curacao, managed by 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, who was coaching at his third World Cup.

Ivory Coast had opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Ecuador, according to Al Jazeera. Ecuador entered the competition unbeaten in 19 matches and was praised for its defensive strength.

Fae said his answer to Schweinsteiger’s assessment would come through Ivory Coast’s performances. “I can’t change the way he talks,” he said, according to Reuters.

“But all I can do is show on the pitch that Africa is not just the physical game,” Fae said. “We are very technical as well, very tactical. And all I can hope is that this was just a clumsy statement, that it wasn’t particularly reflective of what’s in his mind.”

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.