FEMAFOOT President Baba Cisset Meets Mali National Team Players in Paris
The Fédération Malienne de Football (FEMAFOOT) executive committee, led by President Mahazou Baba Cisset, convened a strategic working session in Paris on May 18, 2026, to overhaul national team operations, address logistics bottlenecks, and establish formal advisory channels with veteran players.
Strategic Paris Meetings Target National Team Logistics
President Mahazou Baba Cisset, accompanied by First Vice-President Bassala Touré, met with a delegation of senior players from the Mali national team, known as the Aigles. The hybrid format meeting brought physical attendees including Hamari Traoré, Amadou Haïdara, Nené Dorgeles, Mamadou Sangaré, and Kamory Doumbia together with remote participants Djigui Diarra, Mamadou Samassa, Aliou Dieng, Lassine Sinayoko, Lassana Coulibaly, and Mohamed Camara. Team Manager Samba Sow also joined the discussions.
The session addressed persistent structural hurdles within the federation, notably communication breakdowns, travel organization, and certain logistical commodites.
Administrative Overhauls and International Appointments
The Paris mission follows a broader reorganization initiated since Cisset assumed the presidency on April 16, 2026. The federation replaced former secretary general Sidy Békaye Magassa with Abba Mahamane to modernize administrative efficiency.
During the Paris trip, Cisset officially delivered a nomination letter to Mohamed Lamine Sissoko, appointing the former international midfielder as the new advisor charged with international affairs. The mandate empowers Sissoko to operate across domains designated by the President of the executive committee, leveraging his network to expand institutional partnerships.
Coaching Transitions and Youth Development Pipelines
On the technical front, FEMAFOOT negotiated a separation agreement with former coach Tom Saintfiet prior to his contract expiration on August 31, installing Portuguese manager Antony Da Silva to lead the senior squad toward the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Concurrently, technical restructuring extended to youth ranks, where Soumaïla Coulibaly took charge of the U17 selection for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar following a qualification campaign overseen by outgoing coach Demba Mamadou Traoré.
Financial allocations also targeted women’s football operations. The federation absorbed surgical and medical rehabilitation costs for injured national team players and funded an extended pre-tournament preparation window ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
As FEMAFOOT prepares to host the upcoming UFOA A U20 tournament in October and manages regional district elections in Bamako, the federation’s emphasis on institutional reconciliation points toward a stabilization of its administrative balance sheet.