Mali football has secured a new four-year commercial partnership with WA Team Sport, which will become the official kit supplier to the country’s national teams.
The agreement between the Malian Football Federation (FEMAFOOT) and the sportswear company was formally signed in Bamako on Saturday, 8 August, at the Hôtel de l’Amitié.
Under the partnership, WA Team Sport will provide equipment for Mali’s national teams across all categories without financial compensation from FEMAFOOT. The agreement also includes an annual financial contribution aimed at supporting the development of football in the country.
A key part of the deal is the creation of three official WA Team Sport stores. Two will be located in Bamako, with one on each side of the city, while a third outlet will open in Paris at Châtelet les Halles.
The retail network is intended to give supporters in Mali and members of the Malian diaspora greater access to official merchandise of the national teams, known as the Eagles of Mali.
FEMAFOOT will receive a 15% royalty from sales of official products, providing the federation with an additional source of income that can be invested in football development.
The partnership had initially been announced on 10 July following what FEMAFOOT described as a rigorous and transparent selection process. Saturday’s signing completed the formal process and officially brought WA Team Sport into partnership with the federation.
The agreement was signed by FEMAFOOT president Mahazou says Baba Cisset and WA Team Sport promoter and chief executive officer Badiri Diakité says Dadia.
The deal represents a significant commercial opportunity for Malian football, particularly through the planned sale of official national-team merchandise.
The three stores will serve both the domestic market and Mali’s large diaspora community in France.
The Paris outlet at Châtelet les Halles is expected to provide supporters outside Mali with direct access to official products associated with the national teams.
For FEMAFOOT, the 15% royalty on every official product sold creates a direct financial return from the partnership.
The federation will also benefit from an annual financial allocation from WA Team Sport, with the money intended to support projects aimed at developing Malian football.
WA Team Sport will meanwhile take responsibility for supplying the equipment required by Mali’s national teams in all mixed categories.
The agreement therefore extends beyond simply providing playing kits, with the two sides establishing a broader commercial relationship around the national teams and the development of football.
The partnership comes as African football federations increasingly look to commercial agreements and merchandise sales as additional ways of supporting their national teams and development programmes.
For Mali, the opening of official stores in Bamako and Paris gives supporters a clearer route to purchasing authentic national-team products while also creating a mechanism through which those sales can contribute directly to the federation.
The four-year agreement now gives FEMAFOOT and WA Team Sport a long-term framework in which to develop the partnership.
