Mali captain suspended by the Football Federation until further notice

• Captain Mali Hamari Traore was suspended indefinitely by the national football federation
• The Real Sociedad defender refused to appear at a disciplinary hearing due to his statements on social media, according to sources.
• Earlier this month, the Eagles lost to Ghana and drew with Madagascar in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Mali national team captain Hamari Traore has been suspended by the country’s Football Federation.

The 32-year-old Real Sociedad defender refused to appear at a disciplinary hearing after making comments about the federation following his team’s draw with Madagascar earlier this month.

Mali took just one point from two World Cup qualifying matches in June, suffering a home defeat to Ghana and a draw in South Africa against Madagascar.

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At the end of the matches, the Eagles’ captain launched a tirade on social media in which he criticized the federation for inappropriate conduct.

“Our leaders must take responsibility, listen to us and understand the key issue of preparation for these matches that are so important for our people,” he wrote in one of his social media posts, as quoted by 13 Football.

This led to a summons from the federation, but the former Stade Rennais player refused to attend the hearing. He was subsequently suspended for his conduct.

“We have been repeatedly informed that you are publishing information on social media regarding the internal life of the Mali national team, despite our warning press release,” FEMAFOOT wrote.

As reported by 3 News, the national federation fired coach Eric Chelle a few days after the team failed to record a victory in the June international window.

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Mali dismissed Eric Chelle as coach

Before, A brief description of the sport reported that the Malian Football Federation had fired coach Eric Chelle after failing to win a match in June’s World Cup qualifiers.

The Eagles lost at home to the Black Stars of Ghana before drawing with Madagascar, leaving them with five points from four Group I games.

The former defender was under enormous pressure after the team’s elimination in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations and a series of unconvincing results in the World Cup qualifiers.