By Gary Spate
December 31 2003

FREDDIE KANOUTE is set for a huge showdown with his club manager after announcing he is going to defy Tottenham's wishes and play for his country in the African Nations Cup. In a phonecall yesterday the Spurs striker reiterated his commitment to the Mali national team after bosses became concerned over reports that Tottenham officials were trying to persuade him to change his mind.

Kanoute is reported to have said that he is "determined" to play for his adopted country - he's homeland is actually France - and pledged to join the rest of the Malian squad at a training camp in Morocco in mid-January.

The tournament begins on 24th January with the final in Tunisia on 14th February.

"I spoke to Kanoute 30 minutes ago. He said he will come to play and he will join the team in Morocco," Haidara Mamadou, the assistant secretary of the Malian Football Federation told the London Evening Standard. "He said it is his decision. He is very excited and determined to do his best."

Although Mali are not considered to be contenders for the trophy, they did reach the semi-final in the previous tournament, held in 2002.

Should Kanoute follow his intentions to play for Mali, he will miss five weeks of crucial league and cup games for Tottenham Hotspur.

When Spurs signed Kanoute for £4m in the summer they didn't know he would be unavailable for upto five weeks during the competition, but having said that, neither did Kanoute himself according to Malian officials.

"About two or three months ago, we made contact with him and he decided to play for Mali because of new FIFA regulations," Mamadou revealed.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon
• Tweet