football 25 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Ivory Coast coach Fae suggests Schweinsteiger's 'African football' remarks border on racism
Ivory Coast head coach Emerse Fae has expressed disappointment with comments made by World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger, suggesting the former German midfielder's description of African football as "wild" and "unorthodox" could be considered racist. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/sports/world-cup/fae-says-schweinsteiger-s-african-football-remarks-could-be-called-racist-5509476
Emerse Fae, the coach of Ivory Coast, has responded to remarks made by former German international Bastian Schweinsteiger regarding African football. Schweinsteiger, now a pundit for German broadcaster ARD during the World Cup, described the Ivorian style of play before their match against Germany as “African football,” characterized by being “a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical.”
Fae, speaking after Ivory Coast secured their progression to the knockout stage, stated that he was disheartened by the comments. He noted that given Schweinsteiger’s deep understanding of football, such a description was surprising and could be interpreted as racist.
“When you know football the way he knows it, then it’s odd that he would speak that way … which we could call racist if we were calling a spade a spade,” Fae told reporters.
Despite his criticism, Fae acknowledged the freedom of speech in the modern era. He emphasized his focus on demonstrating the technical and tactical prowess of African teams on the pitch, rather than dwelling on Schweinsteiger’s perspective.
Fae, who admitted to being a fan of Schweinsteiger during his playing career, alluded to a possibility that the comments might have been an attempt to generate attention. He suggested that some former players, looking to create a buzz, might make such statements. However, Fae concluded by stating that the Ivorian team would focus on their game and attempt to move past the controversy.
Schweinsteiger himself has not yet publicly addressed the backlash surrounding his comments. “All I can hope is that this was just a clumsy statement that it wasn’t particularly reflective of what’s in his mind, but, you know, such is life, that is football today,” Fae added. “But we will move forward and we’ll try to ignore that.”