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The coach of the Mali women’s under-18 basketball team has been arrested and charged after being accused of sexual assault by players, we learned on Monday, July 26 from the prosecution of a court in Bamako.
“Case of harassment or sexual touching within Malian basketball: the coach [Amadou] Bamba charged and placed under warrant of committal (…) for pedophilia, attempted rape, indecent assault “, indicated this source having requested anonymity in a message addressed to AFP.
In a statement released in June, the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on the accusations leveled against Mr. Bamba, 51, by several members of the U18 team he had led since 2016.
He was trading playtime or equipment for sex, they said, cited by HRW. “He sexually assaulted or harassed at least three players and sabotaged their careers when they refused to have sex with him”, also indicated the NGO.
Following these revelations, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced the withdrawal, “Temporarily while the investigation is being carried out”, of its president, the Malian Hamane Niang.
Mr. Niang has “Strongly denied” to have been aware of abuses committed while leading the Malian basketball federation, from 1999 to 2007, and “Offered its full collaboration” to the investigation, FIBA added, ensuring that it has a policy of “Zero tolerance for all forms of harassment and abuse”.
