The Ivory Coast boss who was fired during the last Africa Cup of Nations has spoken about his experience at the tournament for the first time.
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The Elephants are the reigning African champions, having lifted the title on home soil in miraculous fashion.
After narrowly making it out of their group — following successive defeats to Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea — the Ivorian Football Federation decided to part ways with Jean-Louis Gasset midway through the tournament and replace him with Emerse Fae, who went on to lead the nation to glory.
Setting the record straight about how he left his role as head coach of the West African outfit, Gasset said, as per Afrik Foot:
“Yes, I offered my resignation to the President on the evening of the third match.
“Even though we had a chance of qualifying since we had won a match. I told the President that the best solution was for a fresh pair of eyes to take over this group. Because I had locked myself away by asking players to come. As a result, they were practically untouchable.
“He asked me to spend the night thinking about it,” he added.
“Because there were events around the stadium, it was a disrupted context.
“But the next morning, he agreed with me. And he also agreed to put Emerse Fae in for the position. He was the local staff member.
“He was in the adventure with us, he knew all the players. And he also knew my approaches to the players to bring them in. But above all, he wasn't bound by that.
“There were no more special privileges with him. He was able to put all the players back in competition. And it paid off.”
The French tactician went on to reveal that it was he who recommended Faé for the role of head coach — a decision which proved to be inspired.
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“It remains the President's decision. He told me he agreed with my idea. But he asked me if I thought Emerse could take on the role after being assistant. I immediately told him, "Of course." He knows everything inside and out. He loves this jersey, he knows this Africa Cup of Nations event. And today, with this trophy, he's the great coach.”
