A former professional footballer and now consultant, Cédric Kanté was one of the stars of Racing Club de Strasbourg. Also a member of the Malian national team, he has seen Malian soccer evolve and experienced its inner workings as a player, then as a member of the coaching staff. As a guest on the Sport News Africa podcast, he looks back at the current state of Malian soccer, and laments the management of the Malian Football Federation.
The regrets of not having won an African Cup of Nations despite a very good generation
Cédric Kanté: “Intrinsically, we had good players. At least 4 or 5 players at Champions League level with Seydou Keïta, Momo Sissoko, Mahamadou Diarra and the others. I think we could have done it. In the qualifiers we played some great matches, but in the competition I think we lacked structure around the team. That’s a minor regret, even though in 2012 we had a great campaign with Seydou (Keita, editor’s note). When we had all these players, we should have done more.”
His view of the current generation of Eagles
Cédric Kanté: “In terms of play, there’s more satisfaction. But in terms of results, they still lack maturity. They play well, but nothing more. We’ve got some well-bred boys, but sometimes it’s a bit smooth. We have the defects of our qualities. We’ve also got players who’ve been together since the youth teams, which is a good thing because there’s continuity. But at the same time, there’s a lack of new blood. It doesn’t help us to outdo ourselves and deal with the competition. In terms of quality to compete with the big teams, we’re missing 2-3 players in certain key positions.”
False promises from the Malian Federation and the Ministry of Sports
Cédric Kanté: “We know that with the political situation and international sanctions, the economic situation is complicated. But we also need to hear the truth instead of just dreaming.I went on a mission to become team manager.I was full of ambition, I was writing reports, I wanted to go and work there, but the federation didn’t have the money to pay for my plane ticket.I wish I’d known that from the start, rather than wasting six months going to Bamako 4 times, thinking we were going to build something (…) The day after we were eliminated from the AFCON, President Bavieux contacted Frédéric Kanouté and me. We spoke every other day, by videoconference. Then there was the World Cup play-off against Tunisia, where we were eliminated, but after that we were determined to get involved. For me, being a team manager is a full-time job. There’s so much potential between the binationals and the current players…And then from one day to the next you don’t hear from them. When the political situation calms down, we’ll see what we can do to come back and help, but less naively.”
Cédric Kanté: “We know that at the start we won’t have a proper contract. But we accept it, it’s for the country. Even the coach, we don’t know how many months he waited after his arrival before signing his contract. After the two games against Tunisia, we were quickly made to understand that it would not be possible to bring us to Mali to work, and that the document we had been given was basically worthless. At that point I asked for a written collaboration proposal, not a voice message on WhatsApp. And of course it never arrived. How disappointing. We’re not yet at the gateway to the professionalization of Malian soccer.”
The relationship between former internationals and Femafoot
Cédric Kanté: “The directors know where to find us (former internationals, editor’s note) when they need us. But when it comes to choosing a new coach and staff, for example, we’ve been sidelined. Malian soccer is very complicated to understand.
The choice of Winfried Schäfer as coach and the change of heart
Cédric Kanté: “After the famous ‘Guardiola-like’ job description, they had a huge number of applicants.At the time, I was advisor to the President of Femafoot. From the day the job description came out to the appointment of the coach, he was unreachable, even though it was an important moment. I had drawn up a report in which I recommended the appointment of a young coach, in tune with current soccer and the profiles of our players. In the end, I was told it would be Winfried Schäfer. They did the exact opposite of what was recommended. And then they change their mind again in less than 24 hours to announce another coach. You ask yourself: where’s the seriousness?”
Will Mali win the AFCON?
Cédric Kanté: “Winning the AFCON? Given the level of teams currently on the rise, we can’t hope to win by tinkering.After that, we’re not immune to a surprise, so it won’t be easy.The level is very high and all the lights have to be on green.
Will you be working with Femafoot again in the future?Cédric Kanté: “I can’t close the door. Mali is my country, it’s my team.But is my vision of things compatible with that of the people in place?That’s the question.We’ve come a long way from the people who make the decisions. There’s a gap between what they say and what they actually do.”
