AFCON 2023: should Mali pursue Abdoulaye Doucouré?

Impressive for Everton, Abdoulaye Doucouré is one of the leaders of the Toffees. With 6 goals in the Premier League, the midfielder is the most decisive of the Malian players operating in central midfield. With 11 non-penalty goals since Sean Dyche arrived as Everton manager in February, no midfielder has done better in the Premier League, according to Opta. Those performances make Doucouré a natural pick in Mali's squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (13 January-11 February). Even so, should Mali push hard for a player who has said he wants to focus on his club career rather than his country? Sport News Africa opens the debate.

NO: "You can't force someone to love a country"

Alassane Souleymane, a communications expert and former member of the Malian Football Federation, takes a fairly firm position on the "Doucouré" question. "A national team is not a club, where a contract binds the two parties. Between a player and a national team, it is an emotional contract based on the feeling of belonging to a nation, a homeland. You commit to defending honour through the national colours", the former federation official says from the outset. And he goes on. "A club can court a player, but it is for the player to court a national team. Mali is a great football nation. You can make an approach to a dual-national player who may have another option. A national team is a State, a Republic, a nation and a country with millions of people who see themselves in every player. So you don't force someone (Doucouré) to love a country. You love a nation, you identify with it, or you don't love it", Alassane Souleymane insists.

YES: "He has to be persuaded to come and play"

While Alassane Souleymane argues that a player should not be chased, Souleymane Bobo Tounkoura, publishing director of the Malian Press and Advertising Agency, takes a different view. The journalist believes Doucouré's arrival can only benefit the Eagles. "In the current context, Mali needs Abdoulaye Doucouré, given his club performances and the fact he is a starter in the best league in the world", he points out. He does not stop there. A good communicator, he argues his case. "Should the authorities do something to convince Doucouré? I say yes. Going to the AFCON without a player of his stature may look odd and may also raise a lot of questions."

YES: "Put pride aside"

Observers of the Mali national team do not want to do without Doucouré. At least, that is the trend emerging from this debate staged by SNA. Cheick Oumar Konte echoes his fellow journalist, saying. "You have to put pride and ego aside, and go and convince Abdoulaye Doucouré to come. He can offer something extra compared with the other current midfielders", he says bluntly. "He is Malian and everyone can make mistakes. It's true he is deeply hurt, since his first bad experience in the Qatar 2022 play-off. But Doucouré must come to help his nation, his country."

Drissa NIONO