“They could call it racist”: World Cup coach lashes out at Schweinsteiger | OneFootball

Bastian Schweinsteiger has sparked a heated debate with his assessment of the Ivory Coast’s playing style. World Cup coach Emerse Faé had strong words following his team’s opening-match victory—and leveled a serious accusation.

Faé had just led his “Elephants” to a 2-0 victory over Curaçao when he was asked about the comments made by the 2014 German World Cup champion. His reaction left no doubt as to how deeply the remarks had affected him.

“That’s sad. We could call it racist. When I heard his comment, I was disappointed. I have no choice but to accept it,” said the 42-year-old. He added that he couldn’t change what Schweinsteiger or others said anyway.

The trigger was a comment Schweinsteiger made as a TV analyst ahead of the German national team’s World Cup match against Ivory Coast. The 41-year-old had said: “A bit of African soccer, of course, which is sometimes a little unorthodox, a little wild, and maybe sometimes not quite as tactical.” You have to be prepared for the fact “that it gets unpredictable at times.”

Faé disagrees with Schweinsteiger

Schweinsteiger was subsequently accused of perpetuating racist stereotypes with his remarks.

Faé clearly contradicted the former Bayern star: “I don’t agree with him. All I can do is show that we don’t just play physically, but also tactically and technically.”

Photo: Getty Images

Faé explained that he used to be a huge fan of Schweinsteiger, had always admired him, and had even been called “Bastian” by friends because of his enthusiasm. Schweinsteiger is a global star who may have fallen into obscurity a bit and needs some attention, according to the 42-year-old.

These comments have also caught the attention of other German TV analysts covering the World Cup. For Jürgen Klopp, a question on the topic even led to the abrupt end of an interview. In a Deutsche Welle video from a media event in New York, the former Liverpool coach—who is working for Magenta TV during the World Cup—spoke about a serious issue: “And I don’t even know what the appropriate thing to say would be. For African people, it’s one thing; for other people, it’s another.”