Mali Braves Poverty, Civil War to Become Football Power

Mali have created a buzz by reaching the SF's of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India

Although Mali have been a force to reckon with in African football over the last few decades, many among the crowd cheering for their exciting, attacking style of play in stadiums across India may have never even heard of the country before the start of the current tournament

A poor, landlocked, war ravaged country with a population roughly equivalent to the Delhi NCR region, Mali have braved all odds to emerge as one of the football giants in West Africa.

About half the population of Mali lives below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day. 

Mali became embroiled in a bitter internal conflict when fighting started between government forces and Tuareg rebels in the northern part of the country in January 2012. 

The rebels took control of most of the north by April of that year and declared a new state named Azawad. Fighting continued over the next few months before joint operations by the Mali and French armed forces recaptured most of the north by early 2013.

But despite internal upheavals and resultant blows to the economy, Mali continues to take great strides on the football field. 

Having achieved independence from France in 1960, Mali made their international debut in a 4-3 win over the Central African Republic on April 13 that year.

They quickly established themselves as one of the top footballing nations in the continent, reaching the African Nations Cup final in 1972 where they lost 3-2 to Congo.

That was followed by a lengthy period of poor results and they did not qualify for the continental championship again until 1994 when they reached the semi-finals. 

Mali reached the last four stage of the African Nations Cup again in 2002, 2004 and 2012.