Mali: suspensions and unfair dismissals at US Bougouni?
Six US Bougouni players have been suspended over the team's poor results and are contesting the decision
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On 4 February 2025, US Bougouni president Ichaka Diakité wrote an official letter to six players (Soumaila Diarra, Mamoutou Kane, Souleymane Sidibé, Moussa Sangaré, Lassana Gakou, Kalilou Tangara) to inform them they had been sidelined by the executive committee.
The reason? "The club's catastrophic results in the Mali Ligue 1 professional championship, season 2025/25. Indeed, in 11 matches played the team has managed [source verb marked sic] only 2 wins, 2 draws for 7 defeats, which places USB bottom of 14 teams."
"[...] Your performances on and off the pitch show your lack of commitment and your lack of involvement in raising the image of the club."
Pressure and a court bailiff
The decision also came with a "definitive release", as written in the letter seen by Sport News Africa : "This suspension amounts to a definitive release should you find another club for your full development, in line with the contractual provisions that bind you to the club and which are based essentially on performance."
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In other words, US Bougouni are trying to find a way to unilaterally terminate the contracts of six first-team players because of league results. It is an absurd justification, especially as there is no line mentioning any such thing in the contracts of the players in question.
On Saturday, the club's secretary general pressed the six players hard to accept what could be described as a "dismissal without compensation" and to collect their belongings. The players refused and intend to call in a court bailiff to record the facts.
FIFPRO has been alerted
Faced with this situation, secretary general Zantigui Fane went further on Monday 10 February by sending the players a "release letter". "We have the honour to bring to your attention by this letter that we give our agreement for the release of the player" while saying it complied with the "regulations of the Malian Football Federation".
This heavy-handed move has nonetheless alerted the global players' union, FIFPRO, which has been contacted over the past few days by third parties alarmed by the situation.
The Malian Football Federation will also find itself at the heart of the debate, since US Bougouni president Ichaka Diakité is also president of the federation's marketing, sponsorship and television media commission.