{"id":28776,"date":"2026-06-08T17:07:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kick442.com\/?p=28776"},"modified":"2026-06-08T17:07:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:07:31","slug":"anthony-da-silva-appointed-mali-head-coach-after-saintfiet-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kick442.com\/fr\/anthony-da-silva-appointed-mali-head-coach-after-saintfiet-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"\u200eAnthony da Silva Appointed Mali Head Coach After Saintfiet Exit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Oni Ladonette Ondesa<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Journalist kick442.com &#8211; Cameroon<\/strong><br \/>\n\u200e<br \/>\n\u200eThe F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Malienne de Football (FEMAFOOT) has named Anthony da Silva as the new head coach of the national team, following the dismissal of Belgian Tom Saintfiet earlier this year.<br \/>\n\u200e<br \/>\nThe appointment comes after a recruitment process held between 28 April and 26 May, during which several candidates submitted detailed proposals.<br \/>\n\u200e<br \/>\n\u200eSaintfiet\u2019s tenure ended in April after Mali failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and suffered a quarter-final elimination at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. His departure reflected growing frustration among supporters and officials who expected the Eagles to establish themselves as a consistent force in African football.<br \/>\n\u200e<br \/>\n\u200eDa Silva, a Franco-Portuguese former defender, enjoyed a distinguished playing career that included spells in Portugal and Romania. He captained CFR Cluj to two Liga I titles and three Romanian Cup victories, also featuring in the UEFA Champions League. After retiring in 2015, he moved into coaching, working with clubs in Portugal and Romania, and serving a video analysts with Cameroon\u2019s national team<br \/>\n\u200e<br \/>\n\u200eIn his presentation to FEMAFOOT, Da Silva outlined a project built on renovation, performance, and long-term development. His plan emphasizes achieving results in continental and global competitions, strengthening the domestic league, and promoting local talent. He will be supported by a Malian assistant coach, whose appointment is expected to be confirmed shortly, ensuring that local expertise complements his international experience.<br \/>\n\u200e<br \/>\n\u200eFEMAFOOT has stressed that the new technical staff must align with the vision of the Executive Committee elected on 16 April, which prioritizes discipline, rigor, and performance. The federation has reassured supporters that Da Silva\u2019s roadmap is designed to meet these expectations and restore confidence in the national team.<br \/>\n\u200e<br \/>\n\u200eThe new coach inherits a squad featuring established internationals such as Yves Bissouma, Amadou Haidara, and Cheick Doucour\u00e9. His immediate challenge will be to prepare the team for upcoming qualifiers, where results will be closely scrutinized by a fan base eager for success. For Mali, Da Silva\u2019s appointment represents both a fresh start and a statement of intent: a commitment to building a competitive team capable of challenging for honours in Africa and beyond.<br \/>\n\u200e<br \/>\n\u200eMali will begin their campaign in Group K of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where they face Cape Verde, Rwanda, and Liberia. The fixtures are scheduled across three FIFA international windows: September\u2013October 2026, November 2026, and March 2027.<br \/>\n\u200e<br \/>\n\u200eThe opening matchday will see Mali host Cape Verde in Bamako, before travelling to Monrovia to face Liberia. With only the top two teams advancing to the finals in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, Da Silva\u2019s tenure will be tested immediately under the pressure of qualification.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oni Ladonette Ondesa Journalist kick442.com &#8211; Cameroon \u200e \u200eThe F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Malienne de Football&hellip;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":28777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,25,5,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-african-football","category-fifa","category-football","category-world-cup"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u200eAnthony da Silva Appointed Mali Head Coach After Saintfiet Exit - KICK442 Sport News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kick442.com\/fr\/anthony-da-silva-appointed-mali-head-coach-after-saintfiet-exit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u200eAnthony da Silva Appointed Mali Head Coach After Saintfiet Exit - KICK442 Sport News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Oni Ladonette Ondesa Journalist kick442.com &#8211; 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