Bundesliga at AFCON | Mali and Zambia previews | OneFootball

The next edition of our Get German Football News “Bundesliga at AFCON” preview sections, we’ll round out Group A with an amalgam section taking a look at the German football representatives playing for Mali and Zambia. Yes, it pains the author that one of his (not to mention many Germans) favorite African footballing nations only has a pair of representatives this time around. Germans happily kept track of our favorite Trarorés, Tourés, Coulibalys, Keitas, and Camaras playing for Mali.

With respect to Zambia, the famed Hervé Renard teams of 2012 and 2013 didn’t contain any German active professionals on the roster as Chris Katongo had already left the Bundesrepublik. That didn’t stop Germans from joining in on the celebrations when fireworks suddenly started going off on the night of February 12th, 2012. Pockets of Zambian immigrants ensured that Zambia’s dramatic upset victory over Cote d’ivoire in a penalty shootout would never be forgotten by anyone in their proximity. At long last, there’s again an active German professional playing for Chipolopolo….

….and they happen to be coached by former Köln defender Moses Sichone!

Mali: “Les Aigles”

As is customary when reporting on this nation, naming customs must come first. While other countries in the region (such as Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire) employ similar naming customs, Mali always requires extra fastidious double checking. Reporting on players representing this African nation isn’t for the “skimming researchers”. So many Malian footballers have a counterpart (or six) with exactly the same name. To take the most extreme example, five separate players carrying the name Adama Traoré of Malian heritage have played professional football. Two of them served on the same 2019 Malian tournament squad.

“Traoré” and “Coulibaly” remain the most used surnames in all of professional footballing history. Players utilizing the names are generally Malian in half or so of cases, but may very well be Bukrinabé, Ivorian, or converted representatives of some other African or European country. Prior to the 2019 tournament, players using precisely the same name were usually distinguished by the year of their birth. This became impossible in the 2019 competition as both Adama Traoré’s on the Mali squad were born in the same year. Those of us who wrote on the tourney won’t soon forget using “Adama Traoré I & II”.

Notes on Malian Football in Germany

With the issue of the naming customs in mind, the author wishes to point out that Malian hero Soumaïla Coulibaly has not been forgotten. No, that’s not a reference to the highly forgettable center back who recently played for Dortmund. Don’t go confusing Soumaïla Coulibaly (2003) with Soumaïla Coulibaly (1978)! The latter spent a good deal of the aughts anchoring the SC Freiburg, and later Borussia Mönchengladbach, midfield. Likewise, don’t go confusing Boubacar Diarra (1994) with Boubacar Diarra (1979), another Freiburg legend!

There was also Coulibaly’s (1978) younger brother Boubacar Coulibaly (1985), who also called Freiburg home but never quite….alright, perhaps we’ll just stop. This could literally go on all night and leave both the readers and writer incurably crosseyed. Suffice to say that Germans really like Malian footballers. Us fans were the last ones to give up on Hoffenheim’s Diadie Samassekou and this author thought former Frankfurt and Lautern man Almamy Touré was good enough for the French national team.

The teams that bravely shook off domestic turmoil to battle through to the 2012 and 2013 semis left us smitten. The 2017, 2019, and 2021 squads all featured at least one Bundesliga professional. As it turns out (as a tear begins to form in the eye), it’s time to bid farewell to one of them. After seven plus seasons with the German Red Bulls, Amadou Haidara is finally leaving us. Luckily, it won’t be long until the likes off Moussa Sylla (1999) claims a regular place…assuming he doesn’t end up like Ibrahima Cissé (2001) or Bakery Diakité (1980).

Okay. 

The author promised he would stop. 

Moving on.

Bundesliga AFCON Representatives, Mali

Amadou Haidara, RB Leipzig

Despite making five Bundesliga matchday squads, the 27-year-old hasn’t logged a single minute of action all season. Haidara still featured semi-regularly under Marco Rose last year and collected a pair of assists among his 15 league starts. Haidara has always been a highly versatile player who can play high, low, or on either side of the midfield. If his tactical assignment isn’t entirely clear, however, it definitely shows in his work. One can also tell that he’s lost a bit of his trademark “cushioning touch”, along with plenty of pace and fitness.

In 40 appearances across all competitions last season, Haidara played for the full 90 minutes on only three occasions. Haidara honestly reached his peak near the end of the 2021/22 campaign, when he could still tear forward up the pitch. The 2019 AFCON still stands out as his best tour-of-duty at the continental championship. There were nevertheless plenty of plenty of special moments among his 159 Bundesliga appearances and he won’t be forgotten, or confused with a player of the same name, anytime soon. 

Ibrahima Sissoko, VfL Bochum

Before getting axed at the end of the ill-fated Peter Zeider Era, former VfL Bochum sporting director (and current Augsburg squad planner) Marc Lettau actually swung some decent deals during the summer of 2024. Ibrahima Sissoko was one of three players (Myron Boadu and Dani de Wit) being the others) valued at €4m or higher on either free transfers or fee-less loans. The longtime Strasbourg professional caught the German scouting eye quite quickly, not least because Zeidler appeared to be using the talented defensive midfielder far too high up the pitch. 

Dieter Hecking played the former French youth international deeper in midfield and, surprisingly enough, Sissoko began to click offensively. Sissoko wrapped up the 2024/25 campaign with two goals and an assist under his new trainer. Sissoko’s first year in the 2. Bundesliga has regrettably been interrupted by a shoulder injury, but he’s back in fighting form and recently bagged a brace in a league victory over SpVgg Greuther Fürth on his return to the starting XI. He also looks especially strong paired with young Germany U20 international Cajetan Lenz. 

Yes, before moving on to Zambia, we must note that things remain ridiculous on the Malian naming front. Bochum picked up another Malian international this past offseason. The 30-year-old striker has been capped nine times for Mali goes by the name “Ibrahim Sissoko”. Don’t go confusing Ibrahim Sissoko (1995) with current Malian call up “Ibrahima Sissoko” (1997)….or for former Wolfsburg winger “Ibrahim Sissoko” (1991)….or former EFL Championship loan-out “Ibrahim Cissoko” (2003)….or…..hell with it.

Let’s get to Zambia!

Zambia: “The Copper Bullets”

After Hervé Renard’s disappointing sophomore tournament (three draws in the 2013 group stage exit), there was an even meeker group stage adieu under cooly named trainer Honour Jaza. The south-central African nation then failed to qualify for three consecutive continental champions until Avram Grant led them back to AFCON last time around. The 2012 side that shocked the world was captained by former DSC Arminia Bielefeld striker Christopher Katongo. The man known by Germans as “Chris Katongo” represented the Teutoburgs both in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. 

The man who Grant tapped to captain the squad back in 2023 was just 19-years-of-age when the famous Rainford Kalaba captained the 2015 team. By the time Zambia returned to AFCON, Lubambo Musonda was 28 and had amassed 44 caps for country. Musonda’s club career took him westward from Armenia to Poland and eventually north to Denmark before He moved south to Magdeburg on a free ahead of the 2024/25 2. Bundesliga campaign. At present, the author doesn’t know if head coach Sichone has tapped Musonda to serve as the skipper this time. 

Notes on Zambian Football in Germany

Apart from Katongo – and some other more globally familiar names like Kennedy Mweene, Collins Mbesuma, and Emmanuel Mayuka – Germans will be hard pressed to come up with names of Bundesliga players. This is truly a shame as countries in this region of Africa (with Zimbabwe being the undisputed kings of it) produces the coolest names. The Zambian who sunk the famous winning penalty in 2012 was named “Stoppila Sunzu”. Not a keeper, incidentally. Last time around, we were all introduced to a keeper by the name of “Toaster Nsabata”. We need more of this in Germany. Period. 

Back in the aughts, there were a few lower league journeymen like current head coach Sichone and Andrew Sinkala who hung around in Germany bopping about whilst also earning their caps for the national team. The amazing teams that reached the semis twice, the quarters once, and the even a Final over the course of four AFCONs between 1990 and 1996 – despite losing the entire team in a 1993 air disaster no less! – were mostly comprised of domestic league players with some Benelux, Scandinavian, and Turkish professionals mixed in.

If memory serves properly, there was another German coach who did a terrible job with an African football program somewhere along the line. Sadly, this is something of a curse in general. They ALL FAIL on the mother continent. Berti Vogts won a World Cup and European Championship with Germany before totally screwing up Nigeria. On the topic of “screwing up Nigeria”….sigh…someone hired Gernot Rohr again. He’ll be coaching Benin this time. Honestly, if some African FA brought back Otto Pfister (in his 90s?!?) to de-rail an African team, the author wouldn’t be surprised.

Why, oh why, does this keep happening? Aaargh!

Bundesliga AFCON Representatives, Zambia

Lubambo Musonda, 1. FC Magdeburg

Musonda’s German footballing career got off to the best possible start with three assists pocketed in his first four 2. Bundesliga fixtures. Then came a form dip and an adductor injury that knocked him out from October 2024 to late February 2022. Musonda then missed four more fixtures in March and April due to a separate muscle injury. He did manage to score his first Bundesliga goal in late April and pocketed an assist in the season finale win over Düsseldorf. Then 1. FCM trainer Christian Titz used Musonda as a fullback and wingback on both sides. 

This year, Musonda has playing all the way up top on the second attacking axis for both club and country. Naturally, there isn’t much positive to say about Musonda or Magdeburg this year. The Zambian skipper hasn’t been able to settle down with much stability amid all the coaching changes. Even on the occasions when the FCM clawed out a win, the team has looked shaky and mostly only scores extremely late in matches. Musonda is at least consistently back on the pitch after being dropped for a couple of games earlier this year. 

GGFN | Peter Weis