'Wizard' who promised Mali AFCON glory arrested for fraud | OneFootball

A man who presented himself as a “marabô,” a type of sorcerer, and who had promised Mali the title in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), was detained for “fraud,” local sources told AFP this Monday.

In exchange for donations, this man, known only as Mr. Sinayogo, promised the Malian national team would win the AFCON title, but the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals, defeated last Friday by Senegal, 1-0.

The man, who was active on social media, had raised more than 22 million CFA francs (about R$ 210,000), according to one of his collaborators.

After Mali’s defeat, an enraged crowd went to his house before the police intervened and removed the “marabô,” as spiritual leaders and sorcerers are known in some parts of Africa.

Sinayogo was detained on Saturday for “fraud” and taken into custody by the cybercrime unit, according to two cameramen who worked for him and visited him.

“Charlatanism is punishable by law in Mali,” said an official from the cybercrime unit.

But detaining Sinayogo while the national team was still in the competition would have been difficult “in the heat of AFCON,” he added.

The man, initially known for being a political activist, “proclaimed himself a ‘marabô’ overnight and amassed a fortune,” explained a social media content creator close to him.

*With content from AFP

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