The Malian Federation has suspended the team’s captain Hamari Traore after the publication of a letter harshly criticizing the management of national football, an official said on Tuesday.
Hamari Traoré, who plays in the Spanish Liga for Real Sociedad, is one of the national team players who published a letter in June in which they deplore the lack of results for years, the “poor management” of their sport by their leaders and the latter’s lack of professionalism.
The players are threatening to boycott the selection if their leaders do not remedy the crisis that they believe Malian football is going through. The letter addressed to the supporters has caused a stir in Mali.
The disciplinary committee summoned Hamari Traoré, who did not respond. The federation’s executive committee met on June 27 and decided to suspend the player from all selections “for breach of honor and dignity, incitement and revolt against the national team and Malian football,” an official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
This measure is pronounced “as a precautionary measure” while waiting for the procedure to be transmitted to the disciplinary committee, he specified.
Mali, eliminated in the quarter-finals of CAN-2024, is only fourth in Group I of the qualifications for the 2026 World Cup with one victory, two draws and one defeat.
Mali’s players are coming off a 0-0 draw in Madagascar in June, despite being outnumbered for much of the match. The players had only arrived at their destination on the other side of Africa a few hours before the match after several flight delays, according to various media reports.
The federation announced on June 13 that it was terminating the duties of national coach Éric Sékou Chelle.
