Latest news with #EmerseFae
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Ivory Coast's Elephants look forward to facing Canada, New Zealand in Toronto
TORONTO - Ask Ivory Coast soccer coach Emerse Fae about Canada and he is quick to praise — and reel off names. 'I like this team because the Canada team has very good players — good players like Jonathan David, like (Cyle) Larin, a good striker. Alphonso Davies, (Derek) Cornelius, (Moise) Bombito from Nice. (Ismael) Kone from Rennes,' Fae said from France. 'So it will be a good team with good organization, a good attacking team. A good challenge for Ivory Coast to play and to see how the team is one year before the World Cup.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Ivory Coast's Elephants look forward to facing Canada, New Zealand in Toronto
Ivory Coast 's coach Emerse Fae gives instructions to his players during the African Cup of Nations final soccer match between Nigeria and Ivory Coast, at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba) TORONTO — Ask Ivory Coast soccer coach Emerse Fae about Canada and he is quick to praise — and reel off names. 'I like this team because the Canada team has very good players — good players like Jonathan David, like (Cyle) Larin, a good striker. Alphonso Davies, (Derek) Cornelius, (Moise) Bombito from Nice. (Ismael) Kone from Rennes,' Fae said from France. 'So it will be a good team with good organization, a good attacking team. A good challenge for Ivory Coast to play and to see how the team is one year before the World Cup.' Fae is bringing firepower of his own to the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament, where the 41st-ranked Ivorians face No. 86 New Zealand on Saturday after No. 30 Canada plays No. 25 Ukraine in the early game at Toronto's BMO Field. Ivory Coast and Canada, which will be without the injured Davies, then meet June 10 after New Zealand plays Ukraine. Canada has never faced Ivory Coast before and has played Ukraine just once, a 2-2 draw in Kyiv in an October 2010 friendly. The Ivory Coast roster draws on players from clubs in Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. Fae's squad includes winger Amad Diallo, who joined Manchester United in January 2021 at the age of 18 in a package worth 37.2 million pounds ($69 million) from Italy's Atalanta. Midfielder Franck Kessié, formerly of AC Milan and Barcelona, plays for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro league while defender Odilon Kossounou is currently with Atalanta, on loan from Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, and forward Nicolas Pépé, formerly with England's Arsenal, plays for Spain's Villarreal. Diallo made headlines recently after a photo showing him apparently making an obscene gesture to fans during a Manchester United tour to Asia. He later said he was reacting to 'insulting words directed at my mother.' At 5-0-1, the Ivorians lead their 2026 World Cup qualifying group by one point over Gabon (5-1-0). Group F also includes Burundi, Kenya, Gambia and the Seychelles. The group winner qualifies for the World Cup with the runner-up moving to the second round of qualifying. 'I'm happy with the way that we are winning,' said Fae. 'Even if I expect more quality from the team. Because we have many good players who play in the best clubs in Europe … Even when we didn't play well, we won. It's a good thing to be able to win the game, but we have to improve the way we play.' After Toronto, Ivory Coast plays its four remaining World Cup qualifiers — against No. 140 Burundi, No. 79 Gabon, the 203rd-ranked Seychelles and No. 111 Kenya — in September-October. The team then shifts its focus to defending its African Cup of Nations title in December in Morocco, where Ivory Coast has been drawn with No. 50 Cameroon, Gabon and No. 96 Mozambique in Group F. The Ivorians posted a pair of 1-0 wins in March, defeating No. 126 Gambia and Burundi in World Cup qualifying play. Ivory Coast appeared at the World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014, failing to advance to the knockout round after finishing third in its group each time. It missed out on the 2018 tournament in Russia and 2022 in Qatar. Fae expects Ivory Coast to build on it 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title by qualifying for the World Cup while also pointing to the expanded 48-team FIFA field. Nine African teams take part in the 2026 soccer showcase, with a shot at a 10th side via the FIFA Playoff Tournament. 'It would be a shame for our country not to be qualifying for the next World Cup,' said Fae. Football is huge back home, so there is pressure to succeed. Fae also knows that winning will help more Ivory Coast players earn contracts to further their development abroad. Ivory Coast is ranked fifth in Africa, behind No. 12 Morocco, No. 19 Senegal, No. 32 Egypt and No. 36 Algeria — after jumping five places in the latest FIFA numbers. It reached No. 12 in early 2013. Born in Nantes, Fae was a French youth international and won the Under-17 World Championship in 2001 — beating Nigeria in the final. He played for his hometown club before switching his international allegiance to Ivory Coast, the land of his parents, in 2005. He went on to play for Reading, then in England's Premier League, and Nice before he retiring in 2012. Fae coached Nice's youth teams and the reserve side of French Ligue 1 club Clermont before being appointed as Jean-Louis Gasset's assistant with Ivory Coast in May 2022. Gasset was fired midway through the 2023 Africa Cup, after a record 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, with Fae named interim head coach. The Ivorians advanced as the last of the four best third-placed teams and Fae rallied the team to wins over defending champion Senegal, Mali, DR Congo and Nigeria, in the final. That earned Fae Confederation of African Football (CAF) Coach of the Year honours in 2024. Fae was given the permanent coaching job in February 2024. The trip to World Cup co-host Canada marks his first visit to the country. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Ivory Coast's Elephants look forward to facing Canada, New Zealand in Toronto
TORONTO - Ask Ivory Coast soccer coach Emerse Fae about Canada and he is quick to praise — and reel off names. 'I like this team because the Canada team has very good players — good players like Jonathan David, like (Cyle) Larin, a good striker. Alphonso Davies, (Derek) Cornelius, (Moise) Bombito from Nice. (Ismael) Kone from Rennes,' Fae said from France. 'So it will be a good team with good organization, a good attacking team. A good challenge for Ivory Coast to play and to see how the team is one year before the World Cup.' Fae is bringing firepower of his own to the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament, where the 41st-ranked Ivorians face No. 86 New Zealand on Saturday after No. 30 Canada plays No. 25 Ukraine in the early game at Toronto's BMO Field. Ivory Coast and Canada, which will be without the injured Davies, then meet June 10 after New Zealand plays Ukraine. Canada has never faced Ivory Coast before and has played Ukraine just once, a 2-2 draw in Kyiv in an October 2010 friendly. The Ivory Coast roster draws on players from clubs in Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. Fae's squad includes winger Amad Diallo, who joined Manchester United in January 2021 at the age of 18 in a package worth 37.2 million pounds ($69 million) from Italy's Atalanta. Midfielder Franck Kessié, formerly of AC Milan and Barcelona, plays for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro league while defender Odilon Kossounou is currently with Atalanta, on loan from Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, and forward Nicolas Pépé, formerly with England's Arsenal, plays for Spain's Villarreal. Diallo made headlines recently after a photo showing him apparently making an obscene gesture to fans during a Manchester United tour to Asia. He later said he was reacting to 'insulting words directed at my mother.' At 5-0-1, the Ivorians lead their 2026 World Cup qualifying group by one point over Gabon (5-1-0). Group F also includes Burundi, Kenya, Gambia and the Seychelles. The group winner qualifies for the World Cup with the runner-up moving to the second round of qualifying. 'I'm happy with the way that we are winning,' said Fae. 'Even if I expect more quality from the team. Because we have many good players who play in the best clubs in Europe … Even when we didn't play well, we won. It's a good thing to be able to win the game, but we have to improve the way we play.' After Toronto, Ivory Coast plays its four remaining World Cup qualifiers — against No. 140 Burundi, No. 79 Gabon, the 203rd-ranked Seychelles and No. 111 Kenya — in September-October. The team then shifts its focus to defending its African Cup of Nations title in December in Morocco, where Ivory Coast has been drawn with No. 50 Cameroon, Gabon and No. 96 Mozambique in Group F. The Ivorians posted a pair of 1-0 wins in March, defeating No. 126 Gambia and Burundi in World Cup qualifying play. Ivory Coast appeared at the World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014, failing to advance to the knockout round after finishing third in its group each time. It missed out on the 2018 tournament in Russia and 2022 in Qatar. Fae expects Ivory Coast to build on it 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title by qualifying for the World Cup while also pointing to the expanded 48-team FIFA field. Nine African teams take part in the 2026 soccer showcase, with a shot at a 10th side via the FIFA Playoff Tournament. 'It would be a shame for our country not to be qualifying for the next World Cup,' said Fae. Football is huge back home, so there is pressure to succeed. Fae also knows that winning will help more Ivory Coast players earn contracts to further their development abroad. Ivory Coast is ranked fifth in Africa, behind No. 12 Morocco, No. 19 Senegal, No. 32 Egypt and No. 36 Algeria — after jumping five places in the latest FIFA numbers. It reached No. 12 in early 2013. Born in Nantes, Fae was a French youth international and won the Under-17 World Championship in 2001 — beating Nigeria in the final. He played for his hometown club before switching his international allegiance to Ivory Coast, the land of his parents, in 2005. He went on to play for Reading, then in England's Premier League, and Nice before he retiring in 2012. Fae coached Nice's youth teams and the reserve side of French Ligue 1 club Clermont before being appointed as Jean-Louis Gasset's assistant with Ivory Coast in May 2022. Gasset was fired midway through the 2023 Africa Cup, after a record 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, with Fae named interim head coach. The Ivorians advanced as the last of the four best third-placed teams and Fae rallied the team to wins over defending champion Senegal, Mali, DR Congo and Nigeria, in the final. That earned Fae Confederation of African Football (CAF) Coach of the Year honours in 2024. Fae was given the permanent coaching job in February 2024. The trip to World Cup co-host Canada marks his first visit to the country. —- Ivory Coast Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana, Angers (France); Mohamed Koné, Charleroi (Belgium); Badra Ali Sangaré, Sekhukhune United (South Africa). Defenders: Clément Akpa, Auxerre (France); Jean-Phillipe Gbamin, Zurich (Switzerland); Cédric Kipré, Rems (France); Ghislain Konan, Burgos CF (Spain); Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta, Italy, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Christopher Opéri, Başakşehir (Turkey); Wilfried Singo, Monaco (France); Luck Zogbé (Brest), France. Midfielders: Lazare Amani, Standard Liège (on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise, Belgium); Mohamed Diomande, Rangers (Scotland); Maho Dorgeles, FC Nordsjælland (Denmark); Franck Kessié, Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia); Parfait Guiagon; Charleroi (Belgium); Ibrahim Sangaré, Nottingham Forest (England). Forwards: Simon Adingra, Brighton & Hove Albion (England); Jérémie Boga, Nice (France); Amad Diallo, Manchester United (England); Evann Guessand, Nice (France); Sébastien Haller, Utrecht (the Netherlands); Nicolas Pépé, Villarreal (Spain). —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ivory Coast's Elephants look forward to facing Canada, New Zealand in Toronto
TORONTO – Ask Ivory Coast soccer coach Emerse Fae about Canada and he is quick to praise — and reel off names. 'I like this team because the Canada team has very good players — good players like Jonathan David, like (Cyle) Larin, a good striker. Alphonso Davies, (Derek) Cornelius, (Moise) Bombito from Nice. (Ismael) Kone from Rennes,' Fae said from France. 'So it will be a good team with good organization, a good attacking team. A good challenge for Ivory Coast to play and to see how the team is one year before the World Cup.' Fae is bringing firepower of his own to the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament, where the 41st-ranked Ivorians face No. 86 New Zealand on Saturday after No. 30 Canada plays No. 25 Ukraine in the early game at Toronto's BMO Field. Ivory Coast and Canada, which will be without the injured Davies, then meet June 10 after New Zealand plays Ukraine. Canada has never faced Ivory Coast before and has played Ukraine just once, a 2-2 draw in Kyiv in an October 2010 friendly. The Ivory Coast roster draws on players from clubs in Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. Fae's squad includes winger Amad Diallo, who joined Manchester United in January 2021 at the age of 18 in a package worth 37.2 million pounds ($69 million) from Italy's Atalanta. Midfielder Franck Kessié, formerly of AC Milan and Barcelona, plays for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro league while defender Odilon Kossounou is currently with Atalanta, on loan from Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, and forward Nicolas Pépé, formerly with England's Arsenal, plays for Spain's Villarreal. Diallo made headlines recently after a photo showing him apparently making an obscene gesture to fans during a Manchester United tour to Asia. He later said he was reacting to 'insulting words directed at my mother.' At 5-0-1, the Ivorians lead their 2026 World Cup qualifying group by one point over Gabon (5-1-0). Group F also includes Burundi, Kenya, Gambia and the Seychelles. The group winner qualifies for the World Cup with the runner-up moving to the second round of qualifying. 'I'm happy with the way that we are winning,' said Fae. 'Even if I expect more quality from the team. Because we have many good players who play in the best clubs in Europe … Even when we didn't play well, we won. It's a good thing to be able to win the game, but we have to improve the way we play.' After Toronto, Ivory Coast plays its four remaining World Cup qualifiers — against No. 140 Burundi, No. 79 Gabon, the 203rd-ranked Seychelles and No. 111 Kenya — in September-October. The team then shifts its focus to defending its African Cup of Nations title in December in Morocco, where Ivory Coast has been drawn with No. 50 Cameroon, Gabon and No. 96 Mozambique in Group F. The Ivorians posted a pair of 1-0 wins in March, defeating No. 126 Gambia and Burundi in World Cup qualifying play. Ivory Coast appeared at the World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014, failing to advance to the knockout round after finishing third in its group each time. It missed out on the 2018 tournament in Russia and 2022 in Qatar. Fae expects Ivory Coast to build on it 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title by qualifying for the World Cup while also pointing to the expanded 48-team FIFA field. Nine African teams take part in the 2026 soccer showcase, with a shot at a 10th side via the FIFA Playoff Tournament. 'It would be a shame for our country not to be qualifying for the next World Cup,' said Fae. Football is huge back home, so there is pressure to succeed. Fae also knows that winning will help more Ivory Coast players earn contracts to further their development abroad. Ivory Coast is ranked fifth in Africa, behind No. 12 Morocco, No. 19 Senegal, No. 32 Egypt and No. 36 Algeria — after jumping five places in the latest FIFA numbers. It reached No. 12 in early 2013. Born in Nantes, Fae was a French youth international and won the Under-17 World Championship in 2001 — beating Nigeria in the final. He played for his hometown club before switching his international allegiance to Ivory Coast, the land of his parents, in 2005. He went on to play for Reading, then in England's Premier League, and Nice before he retiring in 2012. Fae coached Nice's youth teams and the reserve side of French Ligue 1 club Clermont before being appointed as Jean-Louis Gasset's assistant with Ivory Coast in May 2022. Gasset was fired midway through the 2023 Africa Cup, after a record 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, with Fae named interim head coach. The Ivorians advanced as the last of the four best third-placed teams and Fae rallied the team to wins over defending champion Senegal, Mali, DR Congo and Nigeria, in the final. That earned Fae Confederation of African Football (CAF) Coach of the Year honours in 2024. Fae was given the permanent coaching job in February 2024. The trip to World Cup co-host Canada marks his first visit to the country. — Ivory Coast Goalkeepers: Yahia Fofana, Angers (France); Mohamed Koné, Charleroi (Belgium); Badra Ali Sangaré, Sekhukhune United (South Africa). Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Defenders: Clément Akpa, Auxerre (France); Jean-Phillipe Gbamin, Zurich (Switzerland); Cédric Kipré, Rems (France); Ghislain Konan, Burgos CF (Spain); Odilon Kossounou (Atalanta, Italy, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Christopher Opéri, Başakşehir (Turkey); Wilfried Singo, Monaco (France); Luck Zogbé (Brest), France. Midfielders: Lazare Amani, Standard Liège (on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise, Belgium); Mohamed Diomande, Rangers (Scotland); Maho Dorgeles, FC Nordsjælland (Denmark); Franck Kessié, Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia); Parfait Guiagon; Charleroi (Belgium); Ibrahim Sangaré, Nottingham Forest (England). Forwards: Simon Adingra, Brighton & Hove Albion (England); Jérémie Boga, Nice (France); Amad Diallo, Manchester United (England); Evann Guessand, Nice (France); Sébastien Haller, Utrecht (the Netherlands); Nicolas Pépé, Villarreal (Spain). — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What time is the Afcon 2025 draw today?
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations runs from 21 December of this year until 18 January 2026 and today sees the draw to determine who plays who in the group stage. With qualification having taken place throughout 2024, a total of 23 teams, plus hosts Morocco, have qualified to play at the 35th edition of Afcon, which will be taking place in the north African country for the first time since 1988. Ivory Coast are the defending champions after they memorably sacked coach Jean-Louis Gasset mid-tournament in 2023, switching to Emerse Fae when Gasset had led them through the group stage. Under Fae, the Elephants beat defending champions Senegal on penalties in the last 16, downed Mali after extra-time in the quarter-finals and then bested DR Congo in the semi-finals. That set up a final against Nigeria, which they won 2-1 thanks to second-half goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastian Haller to claim the Afcon crown for the first time since 2015. Here's everything you need to know about today's draw: The draw for Afcon 2025 takes place in the Mohammed V National Theatre in Rabat, Morocco on 27 January at 6pm GMT (7pm local time). The draw will be shown in the UK on streaming service DAZN, where you can register for free to watch the draw or purchase a full subscription to DAZN's content here, with plans starting at £14.99 a month. A full list of broadcasters around the world is available here. There will be four pots of six teams with one side from each pot drawn into every group. Morocco were put into pot 1 as hosts, as were reigning champions Ivory Coast, with the other 22 qualifiers then placed in pots 1-4 according to their Fifa world ranking as of 19 December 2024. The full list of pots is as follows: Pot 1: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, Burkina Faso Pot 3: Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, Benin Pot 4: Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Botswana Hosts Morocco will be drawn first from pot 1 and will be placed as the first team in Group A. The teams from pot 4 will then randomly drawn one by one and sequentially placed from Group A to Group F. Once all the teams from pot 4 have been drawn, the teams in pot 3 will be similarly placed sequentially from Group A to Group F, then pot 2 likewise before the remaining five teams in pot 1 (with Morocco already heading Group A) will be drawn sequentially from Group B to Group F. The top two teams in each pool, as well as the four best third-placed teams, will qualify for the round of 16 at Afcon 2025. The tournament has been brought forward from its normal January slot to begin before Christmas this year, with the first match taking place on 21 December 2025 and the tournament then running until the final on 18 January 2026.
