Bilal Touré not officially called up for Africa Cup, here’s why

There’s confusion over the reported call-up of Atalanta striker El Bilal Touré to the Mali National Team for the Africa Cup. Although the preliminary Mali squad list featuring Touré has been circulated, the Bergamo club says it has not received any official confirmation.

According to Atalanta, Touré is not officially a part of the Mali squad. Any such communication should have reached the club by December 17 to allow for the necessary formalities. The club claims this has not happened, and thus, Touré remains at the full disposal of Atalanta.

The news comes while Touré is currently benched due to an injury. Now, his availability for the international fixtures seems uncertain, at least from the perspective of the Serie A club. This situation highlights an unexpected twist in Touré’s international career as he had seemingly been set to make a mark on the African football scene through the imminent competition.