Belgian tactician Tom saintfiet has been appointed as the new head coach of the senior national team of Mali after Eric Chelle was sacked. Mali is
Belgian tactician Tom saintfiet has been appointed as the new head coach of the senior national team of Mali after Eric Chelle was sacked.
Mali is nowhere to be found in Group I of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The Eagles have been extremely poor in the qualifiers as they sit 4th trailing Comoros and Ghana by five points apiece.
The Eagles were the team that was expected to give Ghana a huge challenge because they were the highly ranked team in the group by FIFA, helping them to be placed in Pot 1 for the draw.
When the draw was made, Mali was in a very good position to fight for a slot for their debut appearance at the World Cup but it seems they have already lost the battle.
Eric Chelle was trusted by the
Malian Football Federation but has failed to live up to expectations.
Mali disapointedly suffered 2-1 defeat to 9-men Ivory Coast in the quarter finals of the 2023 AFCON. The defeat was calamitous after failing to beat the host who played the entire second half with 10-men.
Eric Chelle was given another chance to lead the country to the
USA-Canada-Mexico 2026 World Cup but failed once again after losing 2-1 in Bamako to Ghana and drawing goalless against Madagascar at away. These two results forced the Malian media to push for his sacking.
Chelle was subsequently sacked and has been replaced by Saintfiet.
Tom Siantfiet, 51, has immense experience in African football after coaching African national teams like Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi, Togo and Gambia.
Young Africans and Free State Stars are clubs Tom Saintfiet has managed on the continent.
Saintfiet took Gambia to two AFCONs (2021,2023) becoming the only coach to have qualified the tiny West African minnows to Africa Cup of Nations.
The Malian Federation of Football expects the Belgian tactician to smoothly qualified the Eagles to the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
With the 2026 World Cup, Saintfiet has a huge job to turn things around but Mali will still eye the sole slot although they trail 5 points after four matchdays.
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