The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, has congratulated Mamatou Touré on his re-election as the president of the Malian football federation (Femafoot) despite him being accused of embezzling public funds after being arrested last month, the Guardian can reveal.
Touré – who is also a member of the influential Fifa council – is in prison in Bamako as he awaits trial after being indicted on 9 August by the Malian government for “attacking public property as well as forgery and use of forgery and complicity”. The 66-year-old has denied the allegations and was successfully re-elected last week by 61 votes to one after an extraordinary general assembly, having been the only candidate whose filing was accepted by the electoral commission.
In a letter that has been seen by the Guardian, Infantino wrote to Touré on Monday to congratulate him on his re-election for a second term in office, with the president of football’s world governing body expressing his “warmest greetings” and thanking him for “all your efforts, your work and your important contribution to the development of our sport and the promotion of its values in Mali, Africa and in the world”.
“Sending you and your team my best wishes for success in this new mandate and success in all the challenges that await you,” he added. “I look forward, dear President, to continuing to work with you for growth and prosperity for football in Mali in the years to come.”
It is understood that the Fifa president contacted out of courtesy and in line with Infantino’s normal process to congratulate new and re-elected presidents.
“Fifa has been closely following the situation at the Malian Football Federation and is in close contact with Femafoot on this matter,” said Fifa in a statement.
“Fifa representatives were in Bamako, Mali where they attended as observers the Elective General Assembly held on 29 August 2023, during which Mr Mamoutou Touré was re-elected as Femafoot president. Fifa calls on all relevant parties to ensure that the statutes, rules and regulations of Fifa and Femafoot, as well as the applicable national law are respected.
“Fifa has a zero-tolerance policy towards any financial wrongdoing in football, and will continue to monitor the situation. To date, Fifa has not been notified of any court decision in relation to the allegations raised against the newly elected president of Femafoot and also recognises the principle of presumption of innocence.”
Along with four others, Touré – who is also a member of the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football – has been accused of embezzling a reported $28m (£22.4m) from the state purse during his time as a financial and administrative director in Mali’s national assembly. In response to the indictment against Touré, a Femafoot statement on 10 August said his arrest was “fuelled by Touré’s opponents” and stressed the “presumption of innocence”.
Meanwhile, three players from Mali’s women’s team, who organised a demonstration against poor conditions in the national side, have been banned by Femafoot. Fatoumata Karentao, Coulouba Sogoré and Aïssata Traoré were part of the team that defeated Burkina Faso in the first leg of the 2024 Olympics qualifier in July but did not play in the second leg after being sanctioned for their role in the protests. Femafoot has been contacted for comment.
