Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma unfollowed the Malian Football Federation Instagram page and erased all of his Mali jersey photos after being denied a spot in the squad by head coach Eric Chelle during the current window.
The 27-year-old appeared in all 90 minutes of only one of Mali’s five AFCON games in 2023. Bissouma was an unused replacement against Burkina Faso in the round of 16, and he played only 30 minutes in the vital quarter-final loss to Ivory Coast.
In the first international window following the AFCON, Chelle did not invite Bissouma to Mali’s friendly games against Mauritania and Nigeria.
When Chelle was quizzed to give reasons why Bissouma was not selected the head coach said it was just a choice.
“Like many players, he deserves to be selected, it’s just a choice.
“In my diamond, there are players right now who are slightly safer. That doesn’t mean he won’t be called again.”
The head coach’s words did nothing to suggest that the midfielder would not enter the first team anymore, as indeed, Mali has a plethora of central midfielders with the likes of Amadou Haidara, Diadie Samasseko, Aliou Dieng, Kalifa Coulibaly and Mohamed Camara among many others.
It remains unknown whether Bissouma will be recalled back to the team in June when Mali returns to competitive action against Ghana for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
