Mali – The country, the football
Landlocked in the middle of other territories such as Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritinia, Mali counts as one of the largest countries on the African continent.
It is actually ranked seventh with a size of around 1,240,000 km² populated by an estimated 13,000,000 habitants.
The former French colony which gained its independence in 1959 has a motto that spreads the message of unity and team effort:
“One people, one goal, one faith” is the saying that powered the national football team to create an impact at the continental level.
After staging the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Mali’s fever for football grew bigger and this sport is absolutely the most popular now in the country.
Whereas the most painful moment in their history of football might have been their last minute 2-1 loss to Togo in 2005 which prevented them from reaching their first ever World Cup finals, Mali’s greatest achievement certainly came in the Africa Cup of Nations.
It takes us back to 1972 when Mali went all the way to the final of the tournament and picked silver medals with the help of star players like Kidian Diallo, Salif Keita, Bako Toure, and Fantamady Keita.
In that final, Congo emerged as champions from the five-goal thriller only to spoil the Malians’ hard work.
Now, with the presence of big names such as Barcelona’s Seidou Keita, Juventus’ Sissoko, Real Madrid’s Diarra, and Sevilla’s Frederic Kanoute, Mali will try to reach for the stars at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.
Mali – The road to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals
For the first time in the history of African football, qualification for the World Cup was joint with qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Therefore, Mali – like 47 other African nations – had to start from the second round. The Eagles were seeded in Pot 1 for the initial draws and they landed in Group 10 where they were paired alongside Sudan, Congo, and Chad.
Finishing first from their table which was subsequently cut from four teams to three (due to Chad’s suspension by FIFA), Mali went on to qualify for the third round of the qualification campaign.
All the three teams in the group ended up with 6 points but Mali came on top thanks to a positive goal difference compared to Sudan and Congo who both allowed more goals than they had scored.
As part of the twelve nations that automatically reached the next and final round of the qualifiers, Mali fell in Pot 2.
Ironically, Mali found themselves in Group D with Sudan again but they also had to face the likes of Ghana and Benin.
Unfortunately for The Eagles, too many draws saw them slip onto third in the table with four points behind the leaders Ghana.
In accordance with FIFA’s rule, only the top spot holders of each group qualified for the finals of the World Cup.
However, though Mali felt the disappointment of missing out from the finals of the World Cup again, they found comfort as their third place finish in Group D more than assured their passage into the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola.
Mali qualified for the upcoming tournament one point behind Benin and well above the struggling Sudanese who picked up only one point in six games.
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Mali – 2010 Africa Cup of Nations group stage
The Eagles will face the crunching task of vying for a quarter-final place against the likes of the hosts Angola, of Malawi, and of World Cup tickets holders Algeria.
Mali was actually grouped in Pot 2 during the draws on November 20th. They were among Tunisia, Nigeria, and Ghana.
Group A is fairly balanced but despite owning star players like Kanoute, Diarra, and Keita, the Malians don’t automatically appear as hot favorites to progress to the next stage.
Mali suffered from an anticipated early exit in the last edition of the tournament after failing to overcome Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria and those bad memories still haunt the national team.
Match-day One:
They’ll be hoping to kick start the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations championship on a good note when they take on the hosts Angola in Luanda on January 10th.
Strong support from the home crowd might distract the Malians but their desire to achieve the maximum should reflect in their performance. Fans can expect a tough battle characterized with pace and a lot of physical play if The Eagles live up to expectations.
Match-day Two:
After playing the hosts in the opening game of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations which kicks off at 16:00 GMT, Mali will come up against Algeria at the same hour but four days later.
For the Malians, it will be an opportunity to prove their value against a side that have qualified for the finals of the World Cup in South Africa.
Match-day Three:
The final group stage fixture for Mali sees them take on the table’s weakest team, Malawi, on January 18th at 16:00 GMT.
The Eagles will hope that this encounter doesn’t come up as a consolation game.
Mali - 2010 Africa Cup of Nations squad
Nigerian-born coach Stephen Keshi revealed his 23-man squad for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. There should be no worries for Mali fans as the country's top stars have not been left out. Mahamadou Diarra, Seidou Keita, and Frederic Kanoute all feature in Stephen Keshi's final roaster.
Goalkeepers:
S. Diakite; M. Sidibe; O. Sissoko
Defenders:
O. Berthe; S. Diamoutene; A. Maiga; B. Soumare; S. Sow; A. Tamboura; M. Diarra; L. Fane; S. Keita; M. Sissoko; A. Traore; B. Traore
Attackers:
M. Bagayoko; M. Diallo; F. Kanoute; M. Maiga; T. N'Diaye; M. Samassa; M. Traore; M. Yatabare
Mali - Quick analysis: Expectations from the country and its top stars
The prospect of crashing out from the group stages of the competition for the second time in a row is definitely something that the Malians would want to deal against.
Mali’s three top stars – Kanoute, Diarra, and Keita – have all tasted cup glory with their respective European clubs. However, together on the same pitch, can they power Mali to their first ever Africa Cup of Nations title?
Frederic Kanoute
If allowed to leave Spain for Angola, the striker’s absence will be of a great miss to Sevilla. During the competition, the nonchalant 192-centimeter-tall man will be tipped as one player among many other individuals to showcase his talent.
Kanoute was the top scorer for Mali during the qualifiers and a repeat of his goal-scoring form will not only be needed to push Mali as far as they can but it will also be needed to add more fire to the individual rivalries (Eto’o, Adebayor, and co) at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Mahamadou Diarra
The Mali captain has lost his leading role in his respective club, Real Madrid. Mahamadou Diarra is yet to reach the heights which saw him become a first team player for Los Blancos a couple of years back.
Still, the 28-year-old midfielder has kept his national team captain armband and he is expected to play a commanding role at the center of the pitch as Mali aim to go one step better than they did in 1972.
Seydou Keita
With all the experience that he has acquired since his move to Barcelona, Seydou Keita should play an important role for Mali as he partners Mahamadou Diarra in midfield.
After missing Mali’s “non-important” qualifier against Ghana earlier in November, Seydou Keita could return in fresh form for his country as the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations begins on January 10th.
Stephen Keshi
Stephen Keshi is one of the personalities that might remain in the limelight throughout the tournament. The former Nigerian skipper, who tasted gold as a player in the 1994 African Nations Cup, is expected to guide the Malian team to glory in Angola.
Keshi is best known as a coach for sending Togo through to their first ever World Cup finals in Germany and his career might experience a positive boost during the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Mali – 2010 Africa Cup of Nations record
In their entire history of football, Mali have never won the African continent’s most prestigious honor.
They came close to doing so in 1972. Since then, their best achievements have been a fourth place finish at three occasions.
Mali did not enter the competition between 1957 and 1963 as well as in 1980 while they withdrew from it in 1988.
They failed to qualify more than ten times over the 26 editions that have gone by. In 2008, they suffered their worst record in an Africa Cup of Nations tournament as they crashed out from the group stages.
2010: Qualified
2008: Round 1
2004, 2002, 1994: Fourth Place
1972: Runners-up
Five chances to play and win the Africa Cup of Nations have gone begging for Mali. The 2010 tournament in Angola will mark 38 years of waiting since The Eagles last reached the final of the continent’s most popular competition.
With all the illustrious names that Mali possess, it is time for the country to make the most of its value and write its name in the record books.
Check back for more concerning Mali throughout the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. Follow the tournament on Live Soccer TV!
