In a tumultuous turn of events, the football landscape in West Africa has been shaken by significant changes in the coaching and administrative realms. The Burkina Faso national team has parted ways with their manager Brama Traore, while Mali’s football federation (Femafoot) has been plunged into a leadership crisis following the resignation of 10 members of its 19-strong executive committee.
Burkina Faso, who were aiming for a semi-final berth at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), were left disappointed after a 3-0 loss to defending champions Ivory Coast in the round of 16. The Burkinabe Football Federation (FBF) cited this “poor performance” as the primary reason behind the decision to sack Traore and his coaching staff. FBF chairman Oumarou Sawadogo expressed the deep disappointment felt by supporters and stakeholders in the national team’s failure to meet the set objectives.
Traore, who had been appointed in March 2024, replaced Frenchman Hubert Velud after the Stallions’ exit in the last 16 of the 2023 AFCON. The 63-year-old coach now finds himself out of a job, with the FBF seeking a new direction for the national team.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Mali, the administrative turmoil within Femafoot has taken centre stage. Ten members of the federation’s 19-strong executive committee have resigned, plunging the governing body into a leadership crisis. The resignations came after the Eagles’ quarter-final finish at the 2025 AFCON, which matched their performance from two years prior in Ivory Coast.
However, Femafoot has moved to quell rumours that head coach Tom Saintfiet’s position is also under threat. The federation’s communications officer, Ladji Kone, told BBC Sport Africa that Saintfiet “has not been dismissed, and no decision has been taken in that regard.”
The shakeup within Femafoot is significant, with the federation’s president, Mamatou Toure (known as Bavieux), being the only one to retain his role. Bavieux was elected to a second term in April 2023 while in detention for alleged corruption, and was released in April last year after 622 days in prison.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the crisis has been driven by “repeated dysfunction in administrative management and internal tensions” within Femafoot. Belgian coach Saintfiet, who took charge of the Eagles in September 2024, has distanced himself from the ongoing politics, telling BBC Sport Africa, “I am in Belgium, I am not following what is happening on the internet. I coached Mali to the quarter-final for the second time (in a row), that is the only thing I can say. What kind of politics is going on, I don’t know.”
As the dust settles on these dramatic developments, the football communities in Burkina Faso and Mali will be closely watching the next steps taken by their respective governing bodies to stabilise the situation and chart a path forward for their national teams.