MOUSSA Djenepo has finally been confirmed in Mali's 28-man squad for the upcoming African Cup of Nations.

Mali, runners-up at the last AFCON held in Cameroon way back in 1972, named their squad which includes fellow Premier League playersYves Bissouma (Brighton.)

Wednesday January 12 14:00pm – Tunisia v Mali
Sunday January 16 14:00pm – Gambia v Mali
Thursday January 20 20:00pm – Mali v Mauritania

Despite heavy concerns and pressure from European clubs, 24 African countries will all descend on Cameroon for the continent’s showpiece event.

Whilst Cameroon is not on the UK’s red list for COVID, two of the host cities – Limbe and Garoua – have been labelled by the UK government as areas where they advise against all but essential travel due to security reasons.

Limbe is located in Ambazonia, an English-speaking part of Cameroon that is the breeding ground of intense conflicts.

Players have already been threatened by Ambazonia separatists who wage war on the French-speaking majority in the rest of the country.

Concerns regarding player welfare have largely focused on COVID and the extra games players will have to contend with, rather than the active security threats.

The situation is so bad that on a recent promotional tour in the area, the tournament mascot was flanked by armed guards whilst wearing a bulletproof vest.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) state that: “These cities will be busier than usual during this period and there to be a heightened risk of petty crime, particularly at night.

“The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the host cities of Limbe and Garoua.”

All but one of Mali’s games will be hosted in Limbe – with their final group game against Mauritania set to take place in Douala.

It remains to be seen if Saints raise any extra concerns due to government advice.

The competition is set to take place between January 9 and February 6 in Cameroon – who were originally meant to host the tournament in 2019, before it was stripped away as the country was not deemed ready for games.

Awarded hosting rights for the 2021 edition, the tournament was then delayed to January 2022.

Traditionally, the tournament had always been hosted in the winter – but after sustained pressure from European clubs, the tournament was shifted to the summer.

2019 was the first edition played in the summer, with Egypt stepping in as hosts. It is believed that the competition will revert back to being held in the summer every two years, with the next edition slated to be hosted by the Ivory Coast in the summer of 2023.

Mali: