Koita takes his seat at the big table
The Total Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2019 is set to become a platform for many young talents, but if there is one footballer who tops that list, it is Malian youngster Sekou Koita, who helped his side reach the quarter-finals of the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland few weeks ago.
“Koita is a player with character and talent,” Mali head coach Mohamed Magassouba said when asked why he summoned the youngster for the AFCON.
Indeed, the boy from the Kita neighbourhood near the Malian capital, Bamako, has shown that he is a star of the future having been played a huge role in the Malian triumph at the Total U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Niger last February, a feat which earned them the ticket to the global championship in Poland.
A graduate of the Mali squad that reached the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile in 2015, before losing to fellow West Africans Nigeria, Koita was also in the Malian squad that lost to DR Congo in the final of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda in 2016.
If Koïta has risen to this level of being part of the senior team, then it is not a coincidence.
His performance in all these junior competitions convinced the senior national team coach Magassouba to look in Koita’s direction and offer him a platform at the 2019 AFCON where he can not only show his talent to the rest of the world but also be an important player for the Malian charge.
Koita has expressed delight at making it into the squad but was quick to add that he was not surprised with his inclusion especially basing on his performance of the just ended season at his Austrian club Wolfsberger AC, on loan from FC Liefering.
During the pre-tournament build up matches, the youngster delivered when called upon for each of the two games against Cameroon where they played out to a 1-1 draw and Algeria where they lost 3-2.
The forward now says the team has to focus on achieving their target, going all the way to lift the title in Cairo Egypt. He says the team can’t wait to get the business going when they take on Mauritania in their Group E opening game in Suez on Monday night.