Mali national football team

Mali

Nickname(s)	Les Aigles (The Eagles)
Association	Mali Football Federation
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Head coach	Alain Giresse
Captain	Mahamadou Diarra
Home stadium	Stade 26 mars
FIFA code	MLI
FIFA ranking	68
Highest FIFA ranking	35 (March 2007)
Lowest FIFA ranking	117 (October 2000)
Elo ranking	71
Highest Elo ranking	42 (1971)
Lowest Elo ranking	127 (September 1996)
Home colours Away colours
First international
Mali 4–3 Central African Republic  (Madagascar; 13 April 1960)
Biggest win
Mali 11–0 Mauritania  (Unknown date 1972)
Biggest defeat
Algeria 7–0 Mali (Algeria; 13 November 1988)  Kuwait 8–1 Mali (Kuwait City, Kuwait; 5 September 1997)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	6 (First in 1972)
Best result	Second place, 1972

Players from the Mali national squad warm up before the Mali-Lithuania friendly at Stade de Marville – La Courneuve (France), 6 February 2007.

The Mali national football team, nicknamed Les Aigles (The Eagles), is the national team of Mali and is controlled by the Fédération Malienne de Football. They have never qualified for the World Cup finals.

History

Mali reached the 1972 African Nations Cup final, but lost 3–2 to Congo. They failed to qualify for the finals again until 1994 when they reached the semi-finals, an achievement matched twice since.

They played their first World Cup qualifier in 2000. In March 2005, riots broke out in Bamako after Mali lost a World Cup qualifier to Togo, 2–1 on a last minute goal.

In the recent 2010 African Nations Cup, Mali made football headlines from coming back 4–0 with 15 minutes left to level 4–4 with Angola. It is considered to be one of the best comebacks in recent memory.

Mali Football Achievements

Amilcar Cabral Cup :

• 3 Times Champion (1989, 1997, 2007)
• 4 Times Runners-up

Competition records

World Cup record

• 1930 to 1962 – Did not enter
• 1966 – Withdrew
• 1970 to 1990 – Did not enter
• 1994 and 1998 – Withdrew
• 2002 to 2010– Did not qualify

Africa Cup of Nations record

• 1957 to 1963 – Did not enter
• 1965 to 1970 – Did not qualify
• 1972 – Runners-Up
• 1974 and 1976 – Did not qualify
• 1978 – Disqualified
• 1980 – Did not enter
• 1982 to 1986 – Did not qualify
• 1988 – Withdrew
• 1990 and 1992 – Did not qualify
• 1994 – Fourth place
• 1996 to 2000 – Did not qualify
• 2002 – Fourth place
• 2004 – Fourth place
• 2006 – Did not qualify
• 2008 – Round 1
• 2010 – Round 1

Current squad

The following players have been called up to participate in the friendly match against Burkina Faso on 11 November 2011.^[1]

Caps and goals updated as October 8, 2011.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club GK Soumbeïla Diakité 25 August 1984 (1984-08-25) (age 27) 19 0 Stade Malien GK Almamy Sogoba 13 September 1987 (1987-09-13) (age 24) 0 0 Real GK Oumar Sissoko 13 September 1987 (1987-09-13) (age 24) 9 0 Metz DF Cédric Kanté 6 June 1979 (1979-06-06) (age 32) 36 1 Panathinaikos DF Adama Tamboura 18 May 1985 (1985-05-18) (age 26) 48 0 Metz DF Mahamadou Ndiaye 21 June 1990 (1990-06-21) (age 21) 0 0 Vitória de Guimarães DF Mohamed Fofana 7 March 1985 (1985-03-07) (age 26) 4 0 Toulouse DF Ousmane Coulibaly 9 July 1989 (1989-07-09) (age 22) 1 0 Brest DF Drissa Diakité 18 February 1985 (1985-02-18) (age 26) 29 0 Nice DF Demba Barry 4 November 1987 (1987-11-04) (age 24) 0 0 Al-Hilal MF Mahamane Traoré 31 August 1988 (1988-08-31) (age 23) 20 2 Metz MF Mohamed Kalilou Traoré 9 September 1987 (1987-09-09) (age 24) 7 0 Odense MF Seydou Keita 16 January 1980 (1980-01-16) (age 31) 63 17 Barcelona MF Souleymane Keita 24 November 1986 (1986-11-24) (age 24) 3 0 Sivasspor MF Bakaye Traoré 6 March 1985 (1985-03-06) (age 26) 13 1 Nancy MF Sidy Koné 6 June 1992 (1992-06-06) (age 19) 2 0 Lyon FW Cheick Fantamady Diarra 11 February 1992 (1992-02-11) (age 19) 1 0 Rennes FW Garra Dembele 21 February 1986 (1986-02-21) (age 25) 1 0 SC Freiburg FW Modibo Maiga 3 September 1986 (1986-09-03) (age 25) 27 4 Sochaux

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Mali within the past 12 months.^[2]

Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club Latest Call-up GK Cheick Sy 9 November 1992 (1992-11-09) (age 19) 0 0 Djoliba v.  Cape Verde, 3 September 2011 DF Idrissa Coulibaly 19 December 1987 (1987-12-19) (age 23) 4 0 Espérance v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 DF Amadou Sidibé 19 February 1986 (1986-02-19) (age 25) 14 0 Auxerre v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 DF Adama Coulibaly 10 September 1980 (1980-09-10) (age 31) 59 1 Auxerre v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 DF Ousmane Berthé 5 February 1988 (1988-02-05) (age 23) 10 0 Jomo Cosmos v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 DF Abdoulaye Maïga 25 May 1984 (1984-05-25) (age 27) 9 0 USM Alger v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 DF Kalifa Cissé 9 January 1984 (1984-01-09) (age 27) 5 0 Bristol City v.  Tunisia, 10 August 2011 DF Issiaka Eliassou 12 August 1985 (1985-08-12) (age 26) 1 0 Al-Masry v.  Zimbabwe, 5 June 2011 MF Abdou Traoré 17 January 1988 (1988-01-17) (age 23) 15 2 Bordeaux v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 MF Samba Sow 29 April 1989 (1989-04-29) (age 22) 9 0 Lens v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 MF Ismaël Keïta 8 July 1990 (1990-07-08) (age 21) 6 0 Nantes v.  Tunisia, 10 August 2011 MF Mahamadou Diarra 18 May 1981 (1981-05-18) (age 30) 64 6 Monaco v.  Zimbabwe, 5 June 2011 (suspended) MF Mahamane Traoré 31 August 1988 (1988-08-31) (age 23) 16 0 Metz v.  Zimbabwe, 5 June 2011 MF Sigamary Diarra 10 January 1984 (1984-01-10) (age 27) 10 0 Lorient v.  Zimbabwe, 5 June 2011 (withdrew due to injury) MF Sidi Yaya Keita 20 March 1985 (1985-03-20) (age 26) 11 3 Unattached v.  Côte d'Ivoire, 8 February 2011 FW Mustapha Yatabaré 26 January 1986 (1986-01-26) (age 25) 13 2 Guingamp v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 FW Sambou Yatabaré 2 March 1989 (1989-03-02) (age 22) 5 0 Monaco v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 FW Cheick Diabaté 25 April 1988 (1988-04-25) (age 23) 13 6 Bordeaux v.  Liberia, 8 October 2011 FW Mamadou Samassa 1 May 1986 (1986-05-01) (age 25) 7 1 Valenciennes v.  Cape Verde, 3 September 2011 FW Mamadou Diallo 17 April 1982 (1982-04-17) (age 29) 41 9 Sedan v.  Tunisia, 10 August 2011 FW Siriman Magassouba 0 0 Real v.  Tunisia, 10 August 2011 FW Tenema N'Diaye 13 February 1981 (1981-02-13) (age 30) 21 4 Unattached v.  Zimbabwe, 5 June 2011 FW Mohamed Traoré 18 November 1988 (1988-11-18) (age 23) 1 0 Sion v.  Zimbabwe, 5 June 2011

See also

• Football in Mali
• MMOTY: Malian Midfielder of the Year award.

References

1. ^ http://www.malifootball.com/201111111658/match-amical-mali-burkina-un-effectif-amoindri-affrontera-le-burkina-cet-apres-midi.html
2. ^ http://www.goal.com/en/news/89/africa/2011/08/30/2643341/seydou-keita-makes-mali-squad-for-cape-verde-clash

External links

• Tout sur le football Malien
• Mali at FIFA.com
• Mali Football
• Courtney, Barrie. Mali – List of International Matches at RSSSF.com (Last updated: 19 August 2010)