Hassan and Faé: From 2006 Rivals to 2025 AFCON Quarter-Final Adversaries
Hossam Hassan and Emerse Faé are no strangers to high-stakes African football. Nearly twenty years ago, they faced each other as players in two defining AFCON 2006 matches between Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire—first in the group stage, then in the final. Now, they meet again, but their roles are different: Hassan leads Egypt from the touchline as the country’s head coach, chasing historic glory, while Faé guides the defending champions Côte d’Ivoire, determined to settle old scores. On Saturday, at the Stade d’Adrar in Agadir, history, pride, and continental ambition collide in a quarter-final showdown that is every bit as compelling as every African football diehard can imagine.
AFCON 2006: Triumph and Heartbreak
The AFCON 2006, hosted by Egypt, saw the Pharaohs and the Elephants meet twice, producing moments of triumph and heartbreak that still resonate in African football history.
The first encounter in the group stage, at the Cairo International Stadium. Spurred on by 74,000 spectators, Egypt secured a 3–1 victory. Emad Moteab scored twice in the 8th and 69th minutes, while Mohamed Aboutrika added a strike on 61 minutes. Côte d’Ivoire responded through Arouna Koné in the 43rd minute, but Egypt maintained control. Both Hossam Hassan and Emerse Faé played, fully immersed in a rivalry that would follow them for years.
Less than two weeks later, the two sides met again in the AFCON final on 10 February 2006. Before 74,100 fans, Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire battled to a 0–0 draw after extra time. The championship was decided by penalties, where Egypt prevailed 4–2, lifting the trophy on home soil.
For Hassan, it was a crowning moment of triumph; for Faé, heartbreak as his team fell just short. Yet the story did not end there—Faé would later take over the Elephants midway through the last AFCON and lead them to victory, restoring Côte d’Ivoire to the pinnacle of African football, while Egypt have not lifted the trophy since 2010.
2025: History Returns in Agadir
Nearly twenty years later, the rivalry is renewed at the Stade d’Adrar in Agadir, where Egypt face Côte d’Ivoire in the AFCON 2025 quarter-final. For Emerse Faé, this is an opportunity to finally exact revenge. The Elephants are defending champions, while Egypt chase a return to continental glory, aiming to end a drought that stretches back to 2010.
At 59, Hossam Hassan commands Egypt with the authority of a national legend. He remains Egypt’s all-time top scorer, a symbol of leadership, determination, and excellence in the national colours. As head coach, Hassan is aiming for a historic milestone—joining the late Stephen Keshi and Mahmoud El-Gohary in the exclusive group of men to have won the AFCON as both a player and a coach. Achieving that feat would cement his status as one of African football’s lead icons.
At 41, Emerse Faé guides Côte d’Ivoire with calm authority and tactical clarity. A former international shaped by the disappointment of 2006, he now leads the Elephants as defending champions, determined to protect their crown and finally settle old scores against Egypt.