Traditional healer held for fraud after promising AFCON Mali victory
The man, identified only as Mr Sinayogo, collected more than 22 million CFA francs in donations, according to an associate.
Mali player Hamari Traore reacts with disappointment after the loss in the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 quarterfinal football match against Senegal at Tangier Grand Stadium in Tangier, Morocco, on January 9, 2026. (AFP)
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A self-proclaimed marabout, or traditional folk healer, who collected 33,500 euros by promising victory for Mali in the Africa Cup of Nations, was arrested for fraud after the team lost.
Mali's national team was eliminated on Friday in the quarter finals by Senegal 1-0.
The man, identified only as Mr Sinayogo, collected more than 22 million CFA francs in donations, according to an associate.
Following Mali's defeat, an angry mob showed up at his home before police intervened and removed him.
Sinayogo was arrested in the Malian capital Bamako on Saturday for "fraud" and was being held at the cybercrime division, according to two videographers who visited him.
"Charlatanism is punishable by law in Mali", an official from the division told AFP.
However, arresting the man while the national team was still competing would have been difficult "in the heat of the Africa Cup of Nations," he added.
The man, formerly known as a political activist, "proclaimed himself a marabout overnight and made a fortune", a social media content creator close to him said.