The International Basketball Federation (Fiba) announced on Tuesday, September 27, that it had opened an investigation following a fight the previous day between two players from Mali, during the Women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney.
On Monday, just after Mali’s fourth defeat in four games, synonymous with group elimination, against Serbia (81-68), two players, including Salimatou Kourouma, came to blows in the Olympic mixed zone at the Park Sports Center , where media and players meet, before being separated by his teammates, said an AFP journalist.
Well♀️… I would like to point out that this is not the image that we really did not want to convey. God knows we get along and unfortunately there is a skid that we would have liked to avoid! We would like to apologize to the Malian people and the African people… https://t.co/WqnRgfZwiR
– Touty Gandega ❤️ (@Poupexe) September 26, 2022
“Fiba acknowledges that there was an altercation between Malian players in the mixed zone (…). After this incident, it has opened an investigation. Fiba will decide to take possible disciplinary measures once it is over”, said in a press release the body whose president, Hamane Niang, is Malian.
On Monday, the leader of Mali Touty Gandega had explained on her Twitter account that the team wanted“apologize”: “Well… I would like to point out that this is not the image that we really did not want to convey. God knows we get along and there, unfortunately, is a slip that we would have liked to avoid! We would like to apologize to the people of Mali and to the people of Africa,” Gandega tweeted on Monday.
“I know it’s CRAZY what happened but the little ones deeply regret their behavior!”, she added. For their final match of the group stage, Mali take on Canada on Tuesday (at 8 am French)