Mali on Sunday won the 8th edition of the African Military Cup in Abidjan by beating Cameroon 1-0.
The single goal for the Malians was scored by Adama Traoré in the 54th minute of the game.
Mali created an upset by beating the Cameroonians, victors in the last two editions, and overwhelming favourites for the tournament.
Prior to this game, Kenya Defence Forces Ulinzi Stars representing Kenya settled for fourth spot after being edged out 5-4 on post-match penalties by hosts Ivory Coast.
The two sides had drawn 1-1 at the close of regulation time.
The winner Mali is heading home with the trophy plus 20,000 dollars sponsored by the President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré.
The next African military cup tournament is set to be hosted in Ndjamena, Chad, two years from now.
Meanwhile, a whole continent will be expecting Mali, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Kenya to represent Africa honorably at the World Military Games next June in Baku, Azerbaijan.
To have won the 2012 edition, Mali had to come one step ahead after finishing runners-up on three occasions: 1994, 2004 and 2006.
Mali becomes only the sixth winner of the Comparoé Trophy others being Burkina Faso (1994, 1997), Guinea Conakry (2001), Egypt (1998, 2004) and Cameroon (2006, 2008).
The African Military Cup was first held in 1994. It is a competition organised by Organization of Military Sport in Africa (OSMA) that involves national military teams in Africa.
For The Gambia’s representatives, Armed Forces attention now turns to the domestic league following a disappointing campaign.
The good news is that the club is three thousand dollars richer just for participating thanks to President Compaoré’s sponsorship of the tournament.
