Hearts of Oak go to Bamako , the heart of Malian football in which the first King of African football was born

Hearts in Bamako : AS Real Bamako of Mali and Ghana’s Hearts of Oak do battle on Saturday during a first leg match of the Second Preliminary Round of the CAF Confederation Cup. 

The match takes place on October 8th at the Stade du 26 Mars in Bamako , the capital and the largest city of Mali ; also the birthplace of the first King of African football , Salif Keita born on 8th December 1946.

Before Asante Kotoko’s Ibrahim Sunday won the France Football African Footballer of the Year award in 1971 , Keita had already made history after he became the first ever African player to win the biggest individual accolade in African football a year before ;that is the maiden 1970 edition.

By doing so , Keita , the Bamako-born prodigy put Mali on the map as one of the earliest African footballers to make big name in European football.

Even though he won the award as AS Saint Etienne player , the fact that he played and won many trophies for AS Real Bamako and Stade Malien before his European adventure meant his former hometown clubs experienced some sort of self-gratification of his historic success.

Indeed Bamako is not only Mali’s capital and biggest city but also the football destination of the francophone African country. Currently the city is home to thirteen of the sixteen elite division clubs including the three biggest institutions ; Stade Malien , AC Djoliba and AS Real Bamako.

“In fact Bamako is to Mali what Milan is to Italy. It is the home of Malian football. 13 of the 16 elite league teams are all based in Bamako.” veteran Malian sports journalist Soumare told Ghana Sports Market.

However , this is not the first time the Phobians are visiting Mali’s iconic football city. Hearts of Oak have faced Malian opposition many times in their African history dating back to the 1980’s.

The most recent meeting happened in the 2015 Confederation Cup. Herbert Addo’s side defeated AC Djoliba by 2-1 at the Stade Modibo Keita in Bamako. The Malians won the return leg in Accra by 1-0 but Hearts of Oak advanced to the Playoffs with a 2-2 aggregate scoreline thanks to the away goal rule.

Although Mali has seen some really fine and talented footballers , the only Mali side – at both club and country level – to win a CAF competition is Stade Malien ; the 2009 CAF Confederation Cup.