Kanoute 'snubbed' Mali.................
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Kanoute 'snubbed' Mali.................
.....in 1998.
I don't know who to trust, the player, Club or FA because they are all explioting each other.
James Copnall
Wednesday January 7, 2004
The Guardian
Frédéric Kanouté may be determined to leave Tottenham behind to play for Mali in this month's African Nations Cup but he publicly rejected the country six years ago.
Kanouté, whose father is Malian, played for the national team in an unofficial friendly before the 1998 World Cup. He was seen as a player who could take Mali to a new level, and no effort was spared to convince him to opt for the Eagles, including an invitation to meet the country's then president, Alpha Oumar Konaré.
But the forward, born in France, subsequently decided not to play for the Eagles to the great dismay of the Malian football fraternity. "Kanouté was given a standing ovation at the game," says Baba Cissouma, publisher of the Malian sports magazine Match.
"Everyone went out of their way to make him feel at home. However, he then said no to the Eagles. I think he went back to France and saw France win the World Cup, and that persuaded him not to choose Mali."
Kanouté subsequently played for the French Under- 21s. The decision made him extremely unpopular in Mali, to the extent that when he was named in the Malian provisional squad for this year's African Nations Cup finals, many fans were unhappy.
"We shouldn't take Kanouté, he rejected us before. Why should we open the door to him now?" wondered one fan, Abdoulaye Diallo, after hearing of his inclusion.
However the efforts of Tottenham to stop him joining Mali led to a change of opinion among many fans. "Previously reaction was very mixed, but now almost everyone is behind him," said Cissouma. "Malians are proud people, and they take Tottenham's actions personally. Kanouté was seen as French. Now everyone thinks of him as Malian!"
Nevertheless, Kanouté's new coach at international level, Henri Stambouli, is realistic about why his new star striker picked the Eagles. "He's 26 years old and his way into the France team is blocked. I think it will be good for him to come and play for Mali."
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Sto ... 96,00.html
I don't know who to trust, the player, Club or FA because they are all explioting each other.
James Copnall
Wednesday January 7, 2004
The Guardian
Frédéric Kanouté may be determined to leave Tottenham behind to play for Mali in this month's African Nations Cup but he publicly rejected the country six years ago.
Kanouté, whose father is Malian, played for the national team in an unofficial friendly before the 1998 World Cup. He was seen as a player who could take Mali to a new level, and no effort was spared to convince him to opt for the Eagles, including an invitation to meet the country's then president, Alpha Oumar Konaré.
But the forward, born in France, subsequently decided not to play for the Eagles to the great dismay of the Malian football fraternity. "Kanouté was given a standing ovation at the game," says Baba Cissouma, publisher of the Malian sports magazine Match.
"Everyone went out of their way to make him feel at home. However, he then said no to the Eagles. I think he went back to France and saw France win the World Cup, and that persuaded him not to choose Mali."
Kanouté subsequently played for the French Under- 21s. The decision made him extremely unpopular in Mali, to the extent that when he was named in the Malian provisional squad for this year's African Nations Cup finals, many fans were unhappy.
"We shouldn't take Kanouté, he rejected us before. Why should we open the door to him now?" wondered one fan, Abdoulaye Diallo, after hearing of his inclusion.
However the efforts of Tottenham to stop him joining Mali led to a change of opinion among many fans. "Previously reaction was very mixed, but now almost everyone is behind him," said Cissouma. "Malians are proud people, and they take Tottenham's actions personally. Kanouté was seen as French. Now everyone thinks of him as Malian!"
Nevertheless, Kanouté's new coach at international level, Henri Stambouli, is realistic about why his new star striker picked the Eagles. "He's 26 years old and his way into the France team is blocked. I think it will be good for him to come and play for Mali."
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Sto ... 96,00.html