Mali national team basketball players fight during conference

On Monday, after having concluded the third game of the Mali women’s team in the world basketball championship, held in Sydney, Australia, where they lost against their similar from Serbia by a score of 81 to 68however, the result went into the background when an event occurred in the mixed zone that shocked everyone present.

And it is that when the journalists were interviewing a basketball player from the Serbian team, everyone was taken by surprise by the shouts and the movement, Well, the players from Mali, Salimatou Kourouma and Kamite Elisabeth Dabo engaged in an exchange of blowswhile their companions tried to separate them.

Everything was captured thanks to the cameras of the media that were there that had to go back, even the Serbian player so as not to receive a blow, who was extremely surprised at such a sad incident that took place in the mixed zone of the Olympic Park Sports Center.

FIBA responds

The International Basketball Federation, has spoken out after this incident and has announced that it will launch an investigation.

“FIBA acknowledges that there has been an altercation between the Malian players in the mixed zone. As a result of this incident, an investigation has been opened. FIBA will decide to take any possible disciplinary measures once the investigation is over.”, the federation said in a statement.

Mali captain apologizes

The player Touty Gandega, leader of the African team turned to his account Twitter to express an apology about what happened in the mixed zone.

“Well… I would like to point out that it is not the image we wanted to convey, not at all. God knows we get along well and this is a slip that unfortunately we would have wanted to avoid. We want to apologize to the Malian people and the African people.” wrote in your account. “I know it’s crazy what happened but the girls deeply regret their behavior.”

For the fourth and final confrontation of the Mali team against its similar from Canada, where they were defeated by a score of 86 to 65the African team had a full squad of players, so the incident was in the past.

AGB​