Political instability hurting football in Mali

With rebel forces controlling the northern part of the country and a military junta ruling down south, fears of insecurity keep soaring ahead of Afcon and WC qualifying.A year ago, neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire was in shambles, with sporting activities completely suspended and the national team playing their home matches outside of the country.Today it is Mali in flames. An invasion of Tuareg rebels and terrorist groups in the north and a military coup in the capital Bamako have transformed what was a haven of peace and tranquillity into a danger zone, where people now think twice before visiting.Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita went so far as to call on all Malians to eschew partisan interests and preserve peace and national unity during the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.His call was never heeded. His voice and personality were deemed insignificant to the deciders who mapped out the destiny of 14 million people spread over an area covering about 1.2 million square kilometres.Non-governmental organisations are reporting increasing figures of casualties and refugees, as the humanitarian crisis coupled with regional embargoes continue to consolidate the visions of doomsayers.Algerian players recently expressed their fears concerning travelling to Bamako to play the Eagles during the second round of the 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifiers set for early June, regardless of safety assurances from the Mali FA, in a country now without a sports minister.Uganda champions Revenue Authority have backed out of their weekend clash against Malian club Djoliba, after alerting Caf that they were not making the trip to west Africa due to security reasons.The risk with Mali’s situation is that none of the existing governing entities have legitimacy before the international community, and thus none are likely to bear responsibility for any unforeseen circumstances.The junta, who has been urging the Mali football body to give security guarantees to visiting teams, is being threatened by west African regional body Ecowas. The bloc could at any time send in its 3,000 troops to dislodge the Bamako-based military ruling council.Expatriates are being advised to vacate the landlocked country with immediate effect while travellers have been asked to simply divert their trips from Mali.Temporarily held off after the March 22 military coup, the Mali domestic league timidly resumed a week later, with the football federation persuading club managers to release their players to honour scheduled fixtures, with security guarantees from the league. Only three games out of 14 were held with less than 30 people attending all three meetings.