He took cash to secure AFCON victory - team lost and he was arrested

A promise of football glory for €33,500 ends in handcuffs after Mali's quarter-final exit, exposing a tale of opportunism and angry fans.

The frantic hope of a nation and the cold reality of fraud collided in Bamako this weekend, leading to the arrest of a self-proclaimed mystic who cashed in on Mali’s Africa Cup of Nations dreams.

Identified as Mr. Sinayogo, the man had positioned himself as a powerful marabout—a traditional healer—guaranteeing victory for the Malian national team. For this promised triumph, he collected a staggering sum, reported to be over 22 million CFA francs (€33,500), in donations from hopeful supporters.

The spell broke on Friday night. Mali, nicknamed the Eagles, crashed out of the tournament after a narrow 1-0 defeat to rivals Senegal. The promised magic had failed.

By Saturday, the scene at Sinayogo’s home turned volatile. An angry mob, feeling betrayed and defrauded, gathered demanding answers and restitution. Riot police were forced to intervene, extracting the alleged marabout from the escalating situation for his own safety.

His refuge was short-lived. Authorities promptly arrested Sinayogo on charges of fraud. He is now being held by the Cybercrime Division, a detail underscoring the modern facets of this ancient scam.

“Charlatanism is punishable by law in Mali,” a division official stated bluntly to AFP, confirming the charges. The official acknowledged the unique timing, noting that making an arrest during the “heat of the Africa Cup of Nations” would have been logistically and publicly fraught.

The investigation is peeling back the layers of Sinayogo’s rapid transformation. According to associates, he was previously known as a political activist before reinventing himself virtually overnight.

“He proclaimed himself a marabout overnight and made a fortune,” revealed a social media content creator close to the case, painting a picture of opportunistic exploitation.

The case lays bare a potent mix of sporting passion, cultural belief, and cynical exploitation. As Mali mourns its football exit, authorities are now dealing with the fallout of a different kind of loss—one measured not in goals, but in trust and cash.