CAN 2025: The 3 major absentees from Mali's squad | OneFootball

The 3 major absentees from Mali's squad for CAN 2025

Mustapha Sangare/@CAF

Mali's head coach, Tom Saintfiet, has unveiled his list of players selected to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations – CAN 2025 in Morocco (December 21 – January 18).

The Belgian tactician has recalled Yves Bissouma, who returns after a long spell out, despite being embroiled in controversy over the use of nitrous oxide in England.

However, other players have not made the trip:

Moussa Sylla

Present for the September and October camps, the Schalke 04 striker was left out for the November international break. As a result, he has not been called up for CAN 2025.

His tally stands at six caps so far. His stats in Bundesliga 2 are far from poor (4 goals and 2 assists in 14 matches).

The left-back has fallen out of Saintfiet's plans. Not a regular at Brest (just 9 matches played), he hasn't been called up since last June. He has five appearances for the Mali Eagles.

Mustapha Sangare

Levski Sofia's striker is the most notable omission from this squad. With 9 goals and 4 assists in 23 matches, his absence is sparking debate, as many can't understand why the top Malian scorer of the season across all European leagues has been left out.