Mali s midfielder Yves Bissouma
Mali were drawn in Group E fixtures against South Africa, Tunisia, and Namibia.
“We are playing in a very interesting group which requires us to be on alert. We do not take anything for granted and we will do our best in this competition,” the 27-year-old defensive midfielder told CAF’s official website on Sunday.
The Malian team will kick off its campaign by facing South Africa on Tuesday, before meeting Tunisia four days later, and they will conclude their group stage games against Namibia on 24 January.
Mali met South Africa last time in the 2013 edition quarter-final when they passed the Bafana Bafana team on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
The Tottenham player Bissouma also said that the current AFCON edition in Cote d'Ivoire is special for him, vowing to do his best with his teammates to please their country’s fans, who are expected to attend the games because of the close distance.
“This will of course be a special tournament for me because I was born here. It is something that I truly treasure and for me to play a tournament such as the Africa Cup of Nations in a country that I was born in is truly special,” he explained.
“I hope to do well with my teammates and make our supporters and nation proud,” he concluded.
Mali did not win the precious African Cup before; their best result in the tournament was finishing as runners-up once in the 1972 edition.
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