Mali Lift Cabral Trophy

MALI'S SENIOR national team, the Eagles, last week defeated Cape Verde by 2-1 to win the 19th edition of the Amilcar Cabral Cup.

The tournament which was for locally-based players, saw the participation of nations such as Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Sierra-Leone, Gambia, Guinea and Mali from the West Africa Zone 'A' sub-group.

This victory has made Mali winner of the Amilcar Cabral trophy for the third time after triumphs in 1989 and 1997.
Senegal placed third after beating Guinea Bissau 2-1.

The competition fetched 24 goals and only the semi-finals match between Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau was decided on penalties after the two teams had played a 1-1 drawn game.

The African continent is divided into six different football zones, and Amilcar Cabral tournament comprises teams from West Africa Zone 'A'.

According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), any association that belongs to the same geographical zone could form a continental sub-group, and this was in conformity with Article 9 of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) Statutes.

This is allowed as long as the aim of the continental sub-group is to promote and develop football in its respective zones with certain fundamental principles such as recognizing CAF as the supreme body of the game on the continent.

The sub-group must however not be based on racial, religious or political criteria, giving absolute priority to the competitions and courses organized by CAF.