Mali have seemingly excluded Southampton winger Moussa Djenepo and Standard Liege goalkeeper Ibrahim Mounkoro from their provisional Africa Cup of Nations squad, after both were absent when the final 27-man party entered a training camp this week.
Coach Eric Sekou Chelle has yet to formally confirm his selections to defend Mali’s continental crown won in 2020. But strong indications suggest Djenepo and Mounkoro will both miss the cut when Chelle unveils picks on Tuesday ahead of travelling to Ivory Coast.
Veteran striker Kalifa Coulibaly was similarly omitted from the Kabala training base after initially being included among 35 pre-selected players last week.
Djenepo had featured at the past two AFCON tournaments for Mali and seemed likely to secure his spot again after encouraging form this season for Premier League side Southampton.
Meanwhile, first-choice keeper Mounkoro played every game during Mali’s fairy-tale run to breaking their continental title duck in 2020, even saving a penalty in their shootout triumph over Tunisia.
However, with the majority of likely AFCON squad members already convening under one roof, the absence of that high-profile European duo implies Chelle has opted to axe both from his plans.
Mali remain favourites to progress from Group E also containing Tunisia, Namibia and 1996 champions South Africa. But their quest to retain the AFCON crown seemingly won’t involve dependables Djenepo and Mounkoro.
Instead, a new generation led by electric midfielders Amadou Haidara and Yves Bissouma must step up if Mali is to conquer the continent again after their 2020 heroics.
