Mali Risks Disqualification from 2019 Africa Cup of Nations

Mali could face a ban from international football, imposed by the game’s world governing body FIFA, in a dispute over the federation’s general assembly.

The gathering, which was scheduled on May 18, was postponed to June 15 by the normalization committee set up by FIFA to run the country’s football governing body due to various administrative malfunctions.

Various reliable sources indicate that there is a possibility of the elective congress not taking place due to failure by regional leagues, clubs, and association members to set a detailed roadmap that could have paved the way for Malian FA elections.

On Monday, Radio France International (RFI) reported that Véron Mosenga-Omba, who is the FIFA director of development for Africa and the Caribbean, visited Bamako last Saturday where he sent a strong message to the Malian government.

“FIFA President Gianni Infantino is clear: if the General Assembly of June 15 turns into a fiasco, the competent bodies of Fifa may suspend Mali. This sentiment is echoed by the president of CAF- Mali risks being suspended from the CAN, which begins on June 21,” Omba told RFI.

FIFA installed the normalization committee on 20 December 2017 with a four-month mission to revise the statutes, conduct elections and manage the daily affairs of Femafoot, but since then, it has extended its mandate twice, with the latest set to end on 31^st August.

Mali had previously been banned by FIFA for governmental interference into the running of the country’s football. The ban was lifted when the normalization committee was allowed to begin work.

The Eagles of Mali finished top of Group C of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with 14 points, four ahead of Burundi while Gabon finished third with 8 points. South Sudan did not garner any point hence finished at the bottom of the group.

If FIFA disqualifies Mali, then CAF will have to pick the Panthers of Gabon, who finished third in the qualifiers, to fill the void that the Eagles will leave in Group E of the tournament, which also has Angola, Mauritania and Tunisia.