Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé labels Schweinsteiger's African football comments racist

Schweinsteiger's comments

Before Germany's Group E match against Ivory Coast in Toronto on 20 June, Bastian Schweinsteiger, working as a pundit for German broadcaster ARD, described the Ivorian style of play as "African football". He characterised it as "a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical" and warned that Germany needed to be "prepared for it to be unpredictable at times". Germany won the match 2-1 with a stoppage-time goal from Deniz Undav.

“African football... a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical.”

The remarks drew immediate criticism in Germany. Journalist Philipp Awounou of Spiegel wrote that such a description "has colonial roots, because people of African origin are often stigmatised as uncivilised, different and potentially dangerous". ARD did not sanction Schweinsteiger, and he went on to commentate on the England vs Ghana match on 23 June.

“Such a description has colonial roots, because people of African origin are often stigmatised as uncivilised, different and potentially dangerous.”

Faé's response

After Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 on 25 June to finish second in Group E and advance to the round of 32, coach Emerse Faé addressed Schweinsteiger's comments in a press conference in Philadelphia. Faé said he had long admired Schweinsteiger as a player, to the point that a friend nicknamed him "Bastian". He expressed personal disappointment.

“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.”

Faé suggested Schweinsteiger might be seeking attention. "He was a worldwide star but has kind of been forgotten a little bit, so he's trying to create a buzz," he said. He added that the only response was to show on the pitch that African teams are not just physical but also technical and tactical.

Reactions in Germany

Schweinsteiger has not publicly addressed the backlash. Fellow pundit Jürgen Klopp, asked about the remarks, declined to comment and walked away from the interview. Despite the controversy, Schweinsteiger was voted Germany's favourite sports commentator during the World Cup, according to one report.

On the pitch

Nicolas Pépé scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Curacao, securing Ivory Coast's historic qualification for the last 32. The team will face the loser of the France vs Norway match on Tuesday, 30 June. Germany topped the group.