FEMAFOOT considers local coach for Mali position after Tom Saintfiet resignation

The Belgian coach, succeeding Eric Chelle in 2024, has stepped down from his position after close to two years at the helm of the Eagles.

Throughout his stint, Saintfiet, with earlier coaching roles in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi, Togo, and The Gambia, managed nine victories, six draws, and merely two defeats in 17 competitive fixtures.

Additionally, he steered Mali into the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, falling to the tournament victors Senegal in the Tangier Grand Stadium.

With four months remaining on his agreement, the 53-year-old opted to depart, yet accounts imply he could have faced pressure to go after Mali missed out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup and failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals in the latest AFCON.

That said, an unnamed figure from the Malian Football Federation shared with Flashscore that Saintfiet's exit was imposed due to Mahazou Baba Cisse's favouritism towards hiring homegrown coaches instead of overseas ones.

The figure added that the Belgian strategist knew about this when Cisse began his tenure.

Cisse won the FEMAFOOT presidency without contest on April 16, 2025, in a vote supervised by delegates from FIFA, CAF, and WAFU-A.

While invitations for candidates to take over from Saintfiet are now active, sources point to Mali favouring ex-international defender Fousseni Diawara for the job.

The ex-Saint-Etienne and Ajaccio full-back emerges as the top choice, drawing on his prior experience as Mali U23 head coach and senior team assistant.

He presently assists the Guinea national football team as deputy coach.

The previous Malian in charge of the senior team was Chelle, removed after a 0-0 result versus 10-player Madagascar during a World Cup qualifier in Johannesburg.