Ivory Coast coach points out racism in Schweinsteiger's speech

The Ivory Coast coach, Emerse Faé, classified the statements made by former German player Bastian Schweinsteiger about the playing style of the African teams at the 2026 World Cup as likely to be considered racist.

Schweinsteiger, world champion with Germany in 2014 and currently a commentator for German broadcaster ARD, made the statements before the German team's victory over Ivory Coast in the second round of Group E, in Toronto.

At the time, the former midfielder stated that Germany needed to be "prepared for an unpredictable game". He then said that the Ivorians played "African football", characterized, according to him, as "a little unorthodox, sometimes a little wild and not so tactical".

After the 2-0 victory over Curaçao, a result that guaranteed Ivory Coast second place in the group and qualification for the round of 32 finals of the World Cup, Faé was asked about the former player's comments and expressed strong discomfort.

"When you know football the way he does, it's strange that he talks like that... If we want to call things by name, that could be considered racism," he said.

Despite the criticism, the coach said he does not intend to fuel the controversy.

"Today we live in a world where everyone is free to say what they think. I can't change his perspective or the way he speaks. What I can do is show on the field that Africa doesn't just play physical football. We are very technical and also very tactical."

Schweinsteiger has not yet publicly commented on the negative repercussions of his statements.

Faé also revealed that he admired the former midfielder during his career with Bayern Munich and Manchester United. According to the coach, a friend even gave him the nickname "Bastian" in honor of the German.

Even so, he said he hoped it was all just an unfortunate statement.

"I just hope it was a poorly placed statement and that it doesn't really reflect what he thinks. But that's life, that's football today."

The coach also suggested that the former player may have sought repercussions with the statement.

"Today there are a lot of commentators and ex-players trying to create buzz. He was a global star but ended up being a little forgotten, so maybe he's trying to get attention. If that's what he thinks, that's his right. We'll move on and try to ignore that," he concluded.

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Source: CNN