The coach of Mali’s U-18 women’s basketball team was arrested and charged after being charged with sexual assault by the players, a Bamako court prosecutor’s office said on Monday.
“Case of sexual harassment or touching in Malian basketball: coach (Amadou) Bamba has been accused of pedophilia, attempted rape and indecent assault,” said this source, who requested anonymity, in a message sent to AFP.
In a statement issued in June, the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported the accusations leveled against Bamba, 51, by various members of the under-18 team that he had led since 2016.
The coach traded playing time or equipment for sex, they claimed, cited by HRW.
“He sexually assaulted or harassed at least three players and sabotaged their careers when they refused to have sex with him,” the NGO also indicated.
After these revelations, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had announced the withdrawal, “temporarily while the investigation is being carried out”, of its president, the Malian Hamane Niang.
Niang has “firmly denied” any knowledge of the abuses committed during his time at the helm of the Malian Basketball Federation, between 1999 and 2007, and has “offered his full cooperation” to the investigation, the FIBA added, assuring that he has a ” zero tolerance policy for any form of harassment and abuse “.
mk-eml / siu / av / gh
