27-year-old Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder Yves Bissouma has unfollowed the Malian Football Federation page on Instagram, per reports.
It was clear that something was not right between the head coach of Mali, Eric Chelle and the Eagles star midfielder, Yves Bissouma as he played only one 90 minutes in Mali’s five games in the 2023 AFCON. Bissouma was an unused substitute against Burkina Faso in the Round 16 and played just 30 minutes in the crucial quarter-finals defeat against Ivory Coast.
In the first international window after the AFCON, Eric Chelle did not invite Bissouma for Mali’s friendly games against Mauritania and Nigeria.
When Chelle was quizzed to give reasons why Bissouma was not selected, the head coach said it was his decision.
“Like many players, he deserves to be selected, it’s just a choice.
“In my diamond, there are players right now who are slightly safer. That doesn’t mean he won’t be called again,” added Eric Chelle.
The head coach’s words’ suggest he has many midfielders who can do Bissouma’s job for the team. Mali has a plethora of central midfielders with the likes of Haidara, Samasseko, Dieng, Coulibaly and Camara among many others who have won Chelle’s trust.
There are reports that the Spurs midfielder has unfollowed the Malian Football Federation’s Instagram page.
Also, it is gathered that he has deleted all his photos with the Mali jersey from his account.
It remains unknown whether Bissouma will be recalled back to the team in June when Mali returns to competitive action against Ghana in Bamako for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
