A self-proclaimed marabout who boldly guaranteed Mali’s triumph at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is in police custody on fraud charges after collecting more than €33,500 from supporters.
Known as Mr. Sinayogo, the supposed fortune teller had promised Mali’s Eagles would win AFCON 2025.
Newsflash, they did not.
Mali’s campaign came to an end on Friday after Senegal beat them 1-0. They had to play with 10 men for the second game in a row after Yvess Bissouma saw red for a second bookable offence.
The defeat sparked outrage among fans, who felt conned, which prompted them to angrily storm to Sinayogo’s house to demand refunds.
By Saturday, authorities completed Sinayogo’s dramatic fall from online prophet to criminal suspect, formally arresting him and placing him in custody at Mali’s cybercrime unit on charges of charlatanism, an offence that is “punishable by law.”
When asked why they had not arrested Sinayogo earlier, an official admitted they found it difficult to act sooner while Mali were enjoying a dream run to the quarter-finals.
Arresting Sinayogo while his predictions were still correct would have sparked unnecessary arrest in the “heat of the Africa Cup of Nations”.
Sinayogo’s rise has been as rapid as his downfall Once a political activist, he allegedly reinvented himself overnight. According to a social media content creator familiar with his activities, he proclaimed himself “a marabout overnight who made a fortune”.
Mali enjoyed quite the run to the quarter finals of the ongoing AFCON 2025.They drew 1-1 with both Zambia and Morocco respectively in their opening two fixtures, before settling for a 0-0 stalemate with Comoros.
In the Round of 16, Mali overcame Tunisia 3-2 on penalties despite playing over 90 minutes with just 10 men. They were not so lucky in the quarter finals, as Senegal simply took advantage of their numerical inferiority.
