National coach Emerse Fae (42) has voiced criticism of German behavior during a late-game incident in the Ivory Coast’s 1-2 loss to Germany in their second World Cup group stage match.
The cause of Fae’s anger: his right-back Wilfried Singo (25) sustained a thigh injury in the 80th minute during a challenge with German left-back Nathaniel Brown (23) near the sideline.
The Galatasaray star raised his arm and played the ball out of bounds. He was subsequently treated and substituted. Singo hid his face with his jersey, likely shedding tears in the realization that he had suffered a more serious injury.
Meanwhile, Brown took the throw-in and chose not to pass the ball back to an Ivory Coast player, instead initiating a German attack. This did not sit well with Fae at all.
Emerse Fae Reacts to Nathaniel Brown’s Actions
Fae’s reaction was clear. After the match, he confronted the Eintracht Frankfurt defender: «I told him to stay humble,» he later explained, adding, «We would have wished for them to give the ball back to us when Singo was injured. They are a great footballing nation, and we take inspiration from them, so I was disappointed by their lack of fair play.»
At that point, the score was 1-1. Ivorian captain Franck Kessie (29) had given the Africans the lead in the first half. Germany’s substitute striker Deniz Undav (29) initially equalized, and then scored the winning goal for the favorites in stoppage time.
With the late victory and the goalless draw between Ecuador and Curaçao in the parallel Group E match, Germany has secured their position as group winners.
The Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and Curaçao are still competing for second and third place. Even with a victory for Ecuador against Germany on the final matchday of the group stage, the Ivory Coast will secure second place with a draw against Curaçao, as they have won the direct comparison against Ecuador, who would then have the same number of points.
Ivory Coast Squad for the 2026 World Cup
| Position | Name | Club |
| Goalkeeper | Yahia Fofana | Caykur Rizespor |
| Goalkeeper | Mohamed Kone | Royal Charleroi SC |
| Goalkeeper | Alban Lafont | Panathinaikos F.C. |
| Defender | Emmanuel Agbadou | Besiktas |
| Defender | Clement Akpa | AJ Auxerre |
| Defender | Ousmane Diomande | Sporting CP |
| Defender | Guela Doue | RC Strasbourg |
| Defender | Ghislain Konan | Gil Vicente |
| Defender | Odilon Kossounou | Atalanta |
| Defender | Wilfried Singo | Galatasaray |
| Defender | Evan Ndicka | AS Roma |
| Midfielder | Seko Fofana | FC Porto |
| Midfielder | Parfait Guiagon | Sporting Charleroi |
| Midfielder | Christ Inao Oulai | Trabzonspor |
| Midfielder | Franck Kessie | Al-Ahli |
| Midfielder | Ibrahim Sangare | Nottingham Forest |
| Midfielder | Jean-Mickael Seri | NK Maribor |
| Forward | Simon Adingra | AS Monaco |
| Forward | Ange-Yoan Bonny | Inter Milan |
| Forward | Amad Diallo | Manchester United |
| Forward | Oumar Diakite | Cercle Brugge |
| Forward | Yan Diomande | RB Leipzig |
| Forward | Evann Guessand | Crystal Palace |
| Forward | Nicolas Pepe | Villarreal |
| Forward | Bazoumana Toure | TSG Hoffenheim |
| Forward | Elye Wahi | OGC Nice |