Emerse Fae, the newly crowned champion coach of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, is the 11th African tactician to lead their teams to AFCON continental success.
In a classic African clash at Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe, the 40-year-old guided the hosts to their third continental title with a spectacular comeback, defeating Nigeria’s Super Eagles 2-1 on February 11.
Fae joins the other ten African-born coaches in winning the 34th edition of Africa’s best championship.
Fae took over from sacked coach Jean-Louis Gasset midway through the tournament.
“The contracts of coach Jean-Louis Gasset and his assistant Ghislain Printant are terminated due to insufficient results,” the FIF announced in a statement.
However, by finishing third in the group stages, the squad was able to save itself.
They then raced to first place, marking an impressive reversal.
Since the competition’s debut in 1957, eleven African coaches have won the title.
This figure is expected to rise in future editions, showing the growing presence of bright young African tacticians, both male and female, emerging from all corners of the continent.
Here is a complete list of African coaches that have conquered and won the AFCON from its first edition:
Sudan 1957: Mourad Fahmy (Egypt).
Ghana 1963: Charles Gyamfi (Ghana
Tunisia 1965, Charles Gyamfi (Ghana)
Ghana 1978: Fred Osam Doudu (Ghana
Libya 1982: Charles Gyamfi (Ghana).
Algeria 1990: Abdelhamid Kermali (Algeria)
Senegal 1992: Martial Yeo (Côte d’Ivoire)
1996: Clive Barker (South Africa)
Burkina Faso, 1998: Mohamed Al Gohari (Egypt)
Egypt 2006. Hassan Shehata
Ghana 2008: Hassan Shehata (Egypt).
Angola 2010, Hassan Shehata (Egypt)
South Africa 2013, Stephen Keshi (Nigeria)
Egypt 2019: Djamel Belmadi, Algeria
Cameroon 2021: Aliou Cisse (Senegal).
Cote d’Ivoire 2023: Emerse Fae (Cote d’Ivoire)
Morocco will host the 35th Africa Cup of Nations in 2025.
Meanwhile, Fae received the Best Coach award during the tournament’s final ceremony.
