About Camara Mohamed “Tiamatiè”

The valiant and taciturn Captain of the Mali U17 2016-17 almost never had the the right to make football his favourite activity, let alone his profession. Indeed, resulting from a family where religious precepts are applied with a certain rigour, the practice of Football is not prohibited, but the boy does it a little in secret, like his elders before him who cover him from time to time when he has to spend a little more time on it.

At first, when he was asked his name in French, and when he was not fluent in that language at the time, like many kids of his age, except almost in the classroom, did not understand well and a little intimidated to ask to take up the question again, believing that he was being asked his favourite position in the field, he answered timidly, under the amused look of part of the audience: “Tiamatiè”, that is to say “Milieu” in Bambara. Since then, this has become his nice little nickname, the nickname that JMG and his French collaborators until then have trouble pronouncing well, all still saying “Tamashek”, as the name of this ethnic group in northern Mali, a certain Jiddou Salam…

In 2009, when he arrived from Kati, a few kilometres from Bamako, he and his friends from the Sébénicoro district (where he is on holiday) took part in the first round of the qualifying rounds for the Promo 2 recruitment tournament. It is not really in a team that he plays for Ibrahim Kané (now also International U17 Mali and left-back) and Sekouba CISSE (also Academician to date). But rather a bunch of kids gathered in the perspective of the Academy, by one of their elders from the neighborhood who passed the age to enter the Academy. Their team is eliminated but since the organization constitutes a selection to be postponed to the qualified teams to give them the opportunity to participate following the detection, the two players mentioned above are retained with Camara to form with (other good players whose teams have been eliminated), the Seléçao… Camara and Kané will be selected for the final internship, but will be absent for the 3 days of the internship, despite the Academy’s efforts to find him. Camara has meanwhile left for Kati before the final camp and no one has heard from Kané. Kané, the latter was found a few months after the entry of Promo 2 by Cheick Keita who discovered him during a game in the neighbourhood. Through the help of some young people from the different districts who have been kindly committed to the task by the tournament organisation, Camara will be found and brought back one day by one of his brothers. Several months later, he was integrated into the Arsenal group (which later became Guidars), until he regained his rhythm and an opportunity for an internship at the Academy. He would later join the Academy and then Real Bamako, before wearing the Malian U17 armband for 2016-18. In the footsteps of Diadié Samassékou and Amadou Haidara with RedBull Salzbourg.
It’s a beautiful story that’s being written, with the official blessing of the parents since the young man convinced them of his determination and passion for football.