Ibrahima Cissé at the Olympics: It’s going to be really special

The Olympics officially begin in the French capital on Friday (26/7), but the football tournament begins two days beforehand. Cissé and Mali are in Group D alongside Israel, Japan (27/7, 21:00 CEST) and Paraguay (30/7, 21:00 CEST). The two best teams in the group will qualify and come up against a side from Group C in the quarter-finals. The possible opponents for that one are Uzbekistan, Spain, Egypt or Dominican Republic.

“It’s going to be really special because playing at the Olympics in Paris will mean a lot to me. Just taking part in the whole tournament will be incredible, also because it’s in France, not far from my home,” said the 23-year-old centre-back. “We’re in the Olympic Village every day with the other athletes and there’s a really good mood around the place. We can sit together with Olympic champions, chat to them and talk about our experiences, it’s really cool.”

Mali qualified for the Olympics by finishing third and securing the bronze medal at the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations last year. Schalke’s defender was named in the team of the tournament after five impressive performances. Cissé even captained Mali during their friendly in June against Uzbekistan ahead of the Olympics, playing the full game as they won 2-1. “We know that we’ll have lots of fans from Mali in the stadium. There is a big Malian population in Paris too. Wednesday will be a special day and I’m excited to be a part of it,” he added.