In the shadow of Jean-Louis Gasset, whom he served as an assistant coach for the Ivorian national team, Emerse Faé has managed to turn around the fortunes of the Elephants after a dismal start in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

The former Cote d’Ivoire international – Emerse Faé’s name is now on everyone’s lips. The former Nantes player has successfully revitalized the Elephants after the dismissal of French coach Jean-Louis Gasset due to disastrous results in the group stage.

With Faé at the helm, the Elephants qualified as the best third-placed team and underwent a spectacular transformation during the knockout stages.

Despite being considered the overwhelming favorite, Senegal was the first victim of this revival in the round of 16. Mali was also eliminated in the quarter-finals, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi-finals.

Contrary to all initial predictions, Kessié and his teammates will compete in the final on Sunday against Nigeria.

The Ivorians have a golden opportunity to avenge their defeat against the Super Eagles, who handed them their first loss in the competition (1-0) during the second group stage match.

At just 40 years old, Emerse Faé is 90 minutes away from making history with his country.

He did not have the chance to be part of the Ivorian squad during the final loss 2012 or when the team won the title in 2015. But a fabulous destiny awaited the man the Ivorian people were now hailing.

As a professional player, Emerse Faé’s career was cut short by repeated injuries. Trained at French club Nantes, he spent most of his career there (2003-2007).

From 2007 to 2009, he played for Reading FC before finishing his career at OGC Nice, where he stayed between 2009 and 2012. The midfielder was forced to retire on February 1, 2012, at just 28 years old, due to recurring blood clots.

Holder of a Football Coaching Certificate, Faé began his coaching career with the U19 team at French club Nice in 2012. He remained there until 2021 before taking charge of the reserve team at Clermont Foot 63.

In 2022, he was appointed Jean-Louis Gasset’s assistant for the Ivorian Elephants. He replaced the French coach by circumstance during the home AFCON tournament.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that Dahane Beida from Mauritania will be the center referee for the final of the 2023 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, set to be played in Abidjan on Sunday.

The highly anticipated final will see hosts Cote d’Ivoire face off against Nigeria at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on February 11, 2024.

Dahane Beida, aged 32, will be the on-pitch referee for this crucial match, marking his third appearance at this year’s TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.

Previously, he officiated the match between Egypt and Mozambique, which ended in a 2-2 draw during the group stage, as well as the Round of 16 clash where Angola secured a 3-0 victory over Namibia.

Emiliano Dos Santos from Angola and Diana Chicotesha from Zambia will assist Dahane Beida.
Morocco’s Bouchra Karboubi will serve as the fourth official.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) role will be taken up by Mahmoud Ashour from Egypt, with Rivet Maria Pakuita from Mauritius as the Assistant VAR.

Beida’s extensive refereeing experience includes officiating matches in various prestigious competitions, such as the U17 World Cup in New Zealand last year, as well as the second leg of the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2022/23 between USM Alger and Young Africans in Algiers.

He has also officiated in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, CAF TotalEnergies Confederation Cup, and the African Football League.

Additionally, he played a significant role in last year’s African Nations Championship in Algeria.

Both Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire are vying for glory, with Nigeria aiming to secure their fourth title and Cote d’Ivoire eyeing their third championship victory.

Coach Hugo Broos was full of praise for his players after their hard-fought 3^rd place finish in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 courtesy of a 6-5 penalty shoot-out win that came after a 0-0 draw, CAFonline reports.

With very few chances given to his squad, Broos’ charges were impressive during their stay in Cote d’Ivoire, where they dismantled African football heavyweights en route to a third-place finish.

After clinching the third-place finish in Abidjan, Broos showered his squad with praises, making a special mention of the players on the bench who rallied the on-field players.

“After the Nigeria match, I said that I was proud of this team, and today, people can see why I am proud. We were not fresh, but when you see the mentality in that group, it is impressive,” said the delighted coach.

“The boys did very well. They showed great mentality. They tried to do what I asked, and I understood that it was difficult. It shows that if we have problems, we can count on those on the bench. I was satisfied with the players on the pitch, but I was even more satisfied with those on the pitch. They were encouraging them and pushing them. From this, you know that you have 23 guys who want one thing: winning,” concluded the coach.

The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2024 concludes on Sunday, 11 February 2024 with an African classic between hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.