World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger has come under fire after making remarks about Ivory Coast’s style of play, which many viewed as racist and disrespectful.
Following earlier controversial comments by former Serbia striker Rade Bogdanović and former Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart about Black and African players, Schweinsteiger has now joined the list of pundits accused of using offensive stereotypes.
Before Germany’s narrow 2-1 win over the Ivory Coast last week, the 41-year-old claimed that Emerse Faé’s side were “not conditioned by tactics” and described their football as “a bit African.” He added that Germany needed to prepare for an “unpredictable,” “unorthodox,” and “wild” style of play.
Germany later suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Ecuador on Thursday night.
In response, Faé said he respected Schweinsteiger for his achievements in football, but described the comments as disappointing and disrespectful.
“When I heard his comments, I was disappointed in the man. It is odd he would speak that way. We could call it racist, if we are calling a spade a spade,” Faé said.
“I don’t agree with him, but I have no other solution other than to work with things as they are. All I can show is that on the pitch, African teams are not just physical; we are technical and tactical,” he added.
“I can only hope it was a clumsy statement rather than something that truly reflects his thinking. If that’s what he believes, he is free to do so.”
Ivory Coast made history by qualifying for the World Cup knockout stages for the first time ever after a 2-0 victory over Curaçao on Thursday. A superb brace from Nicolas Pépé secured second place in Group E.