Malian goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa, boasting 14 international caps, faces exclusion from the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire following an agreement with his club.
Samassa has reached an agreement inked with his club, Stade Lavallois (currently 4th in French Ligue 2), which hampers his participation in the tournament, starting next month.
While conflicts between national selections and clubs for player releases have diminished over the years, the AFCON, renowned for its global football prominence, remains a battleground for such disputes.
Despite the AFCON’s escalating significance, issues persist, and Samassa’s predicament epitomizes this challenge.
Malian journalist Drissa Niono reveals that the 33-year-old goalkeeper, slated to join the Mali’s training camp in Bamako, will be a notable absence.
The crux lies in a non-participation pact signed with Stade Lavallois upon his July arrival.
As stipulated by this agreement, the French club staunchly refuses to release Samassa for national duty, signaling a resurgence of tensions between club commitments and international aspirations in the face of what promises to be the most challenging AFCON in history.
The former France youth goalkeeper played his last match for Mali in 2019, when he kept the posts during an international friendly game against Senegal.
Samassa has made 17 appearances for Lavallois in the French second-tier this season, conceding 16 goals and keeping 8 clean sheets.
