A bizarre incident has sparked anger in Mali after authorities arrested a man who posed as a sorcerer and fortune-teller, promising to secure the national team’s victory over Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
According to reports, he exploited fans’ passion by claiming he could use spiritual powers to influence results and guarantee Mali’s place in the semi-finals.
The man promoted his alleged services on social media, asking for financial “donations” to perform special rituals in favour of the team. Local outlets revealed he managed to collect around 33,000 euros from trusting citizens before Mali were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 1-0 defeat to Senegal.
When the team crashed out, furious donors realised they had been deceived and some went to the man’s home, where tensions escalated until the police intervened. He was later formally arrested and placed under investigation on charges including fraud, exploiting citizens’ naivety and spreading misleading claims, with the case referred to cybercrime authorities.
Senegal now face Egypt in the first semi-final, while Morocco meet Nigeria in the second, with the winners to contest the final on Sunday.
