PHILADELPAHIA, June 25 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae said comments from World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger could be labelled racist after the ex-Germany midfielder described African football as "wild" and "unorthodox".
Schweinsteiger is a pundit at the World Cup for German broadcaster ARD. Last week, before Germany beat the Ivorians in their second Group E fixture in Toronto, he said that Germany needed to be "prepared for it to be unpredictable at times".
He said Ivorians played "African
football", which he characterised as "a bit unorthodox sometimes, a bit wild, not quite as tactical".
Schweinsteiger was not immediately reachable for comment through his representatives or through ARD on Thursday.
Asked for a reaction after Ivory Coast beat Curacao 2-0 on Thursday to finish runners-up behind Germany and advance to the last 32 at the World Cup, Fae told reporters he was disappointed by Schweinsteiger’s comments.
"When you know football the way he knows it, then it’s odd that he would speak that way ... which we could call racist if we were calling a spade a spade," said Fae.
"But that's the way it is. Nowadays, we live in a world where everybody is free to say what they think.
"I can't change his perspective. I can't change the way he talks. But all I can do is show on the pitch that Africa is not just the physical game. We are very technical as well and very tactical."
Schweinsteiger has not publicly addressed the backlash over his comments about Ivory Coast’s style of play, according to multiple media reports.
Fae said he had been a fan of Schweinsteiger’s playing style when he was in his prime at Bayern Munich and Manchester United, so much so that one of his friends nicknamed Fae "Bastian".
"All I can hope is that this was just a clumsy statement that it wasn't particularly reflective of what's in his mind, but, you know, such is life, that is football today.
"Nowadays, there are a lot of pundits, a lot of former players who are also looking to create a buzz.
"He was a worldwide star but has kind of been forgotten a little bit, so he's trying to create a buzz. Good for him, if that's what he thinks. He’s free to do so. But we will move forward and we'll try to ignore that," Fae added.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in AtlantaEditing by Toby Davis)
