With the thrilling 2023 Africa Cup of Nations nearing a crucial stage, attention is now focused on the determined Ivory Coast team, guided by coach Emerse Faé.
Following an incredible victory over Senegal, the current African champion, the Elephants is about to face Mali in the quarterfinals.
Before the match against Mali, Faé gave a unique speech to his players full of confidence and deep respect for the game.
The stakes are enormous for Ivory Coast, having survived the difficult group stage and then called upon incredible resolve to eliminate Senegal.
“You have set the bar so high that on Saturday the minimum is to keep the bar at the same height. We can't go any lower. What we did against Senegal is our minimum,” he told the players.
“We stay focused, we will recover well today, Thursday we will prepare well for the match. Friday, we will be on the eve of the match, we will be quite lively. Then we will travel to Bouaké. And Saturday at 5 p.m., we will play our quarter-final to qualify for Wednesday.
“It’s going to require a lot of humility. We did well against Senegal but we remain focused, we remain humble, we do not forget where we come from,” he ended.