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The flow between the Mali Football Association and the national team players Mali Eagles no longer flows. 3 Unfavorable results on the ground during the periodth Wait 4th The days leading up to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, coupled with the Eagles’ poor preparation conditions, have led to tensions between the players and officials of the national football governing body.
“There is a new chaos in our Mali selection. Our players had to go through a real journey to arrive in Johannesburg a few hours before a key match. We have strong ambitions for the World Cup, but these conditions do not allow us, the players and the staff to be in the best condition to play such an important game for our country,” lamented Hamary Traore, the captain of the selected national team, in a statement. On June 11, a few minutes before the start of the game against Madagascar, he made a statement on social networks on behalf of the national team.
The outing was not appreciated by the Mali Football Federation’s executive committee. After the sacking of national team coach Eric Sekou Schelle, he said in a press release on June 13 that he “regretted the unfortunate behavior of some players on social networks” and called on them to fulfill their “reserve team duties.”
Dissonant Journey
We understand that the organization of the Eagles’ trip to South Africa was the trigger for today’s tensions between the players and the coach. The straw that broke the camel’s back. “The lack of professionalism on this trip to South Africa has triggered the current tensions between the coach and the players,” a source close to the national team revealed.
Although the Eagles were originally scheduled to arrive in Johannesburg on June 8 for the match against Madagascar, after two delayed flights, the Eagles finally set foot on South African soil until the day before the game.th Reports say that the tone quickly heated up between a senior executive of the league and a player, who was supported by all his teammates to ask for an explanation of the situation. This incident was initially intended to focus on the game, but it will become one of the reasons to explain the new statement of the Eagles on June 21, which was not signed but was shared simultaneously on social networks by almost all the players of the national team.
“We recognise the efforts made by the state to improve its infrastructure, but due to mismanagement by our leaders, results have stagnated. We call on the top brass of the Football Association to immediately take responsibility,” the Eagles wrote, reserving “the right not to accept selection and not to participate in the upcoming qualifiers”.
“Out of love for Mali, we are taking this delicate but necessary decision for future generations,” the players continued. In the process, on June 24, the captain, Hamari Traoré, was invited by the FEMAFOOT Executive Committee to appear within 48 hours to seek explanations and we understand that, after consulting with his teammates, he will not travel there.
Clear stance
If the Mali Football Association Executive Committee has not officially reacted to the content of the players’ declaration, apart from sending an invitation to the Eagles captain to explain, this trip has caused various reactions in the national football world.
“For my part, I fully support the players selected by Mali and ask our people to support them. Together we will make Mali an important country in African football,” former Mali international Mohamed Lamine Sissoko responded on his Instagram account. “This is not an easy decision to make, but it is mandatory. This is the history of Malian football being written, and the future of the entire nation, and we can only achieve this if we work together,” he added.
Like him, other former Mali internationals such as Cedric Kante and Brahim Thiam have also expressed their support for the Eagles. In addition to personal support, the actions of captain Hammari Traore and his national team teammates have also been supported by certain sports associations.
In a press release on June 23, the Malian Footballers’ Union (UFM) reiterated its “firm support” for the players’ initiative, while calling for “the creation of a football family united and focused on the same goal.”
The Collective for the Defence of Malian Football (CDIFM) also paid tribute to the “courage and determination of the players to defend the interests of Malian football in the face of current challenges”. “We call on the national sports authorities to listen carefully to the legitimate concerns of the athletes and to engage in a constructive dialogue to address these issues in a fair and transparent manner,” the group stressed in a press release on June 24.
Unlike his former teammates in the national team, Soumaila Coulibaly, former captain of the Eagles and current national coach of Aiglon (U20 selection), criticized the gang’s attitude towards Hamary Traore. “The national team is our strength. Anyone who wants to talk must be released. These players have not done anything for Mali. The authorities must make a decision. We have the opportunity to make history with other players, but not with this team, which has given us nothing since joining CAN,” he said angrily on a local radio station, even referring to a pure and simple radiation of “all the infiltrators of the organization, including the staff”.
What does the future hold for selection?
While Mali is searching for a new coach for the 2025 World Cup qualifiers in Canada, which begin next September, and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which resume in March 2025, there is still uncertainty about the national team framework for these future meetings. According to internal sources, the Mali Football Association’s executive committee is expected to meet in the coming days to “make a decision.”
“If the federation does not analyse the situation well and have enough insight, it could get worse because other players will stand in solidarity with their captain if sanctions are imposed on Hamary Traore,” said a sports journalist.
With the players threatening not to play in the upcoming qualifiers, the sword of Damocles is hanging over the national team. “The new coach will have the difficult task of uniting the players. But will he risk losing this group of players to a new team that mainly consists of U23 and local players?” asked one analyst.
For Mr Niono, even if he believes the situation will not reach the point where the players carry out their threats, the future of the national team will depend on the management of the crisis at federal level. “If the leaders of the federation become radicalised and the players do the same, the national team will be destroyed,” he warned.
“We will find ourselves in a situation like the one we had after 2005, crossing the desert, when Kanoute’s generation had to wait until 2012 to win a bronze medal at the CAN, after missing the CAN in 2006 and being eliminated in the first round. 2008 and 2010,” the analyst warned.
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