But one of Niang’s successors as the top basketball official in Mali — and whose family has prominent FIBA connections — has become the latest official to be sanctioned in the abuse scandal. Harouna Maiga has been temporarily suspended by FIBA as president of the Mali basketball federation, the country’s sports ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Two teenage players told The Times that Bamba had assaulted them at hotels during international tournaments. A third player said Niang did not intervene when Sissoko regularly made inappropriate sexual remarks during training sessions. Maiga — the suspended federation president who was accused by Human Rights Watch in June of attempting to cover up sexual abuse, and was said by players to ignore their accusations about Bamba — belongs to an influential basketball family in Mali.

Source: New York Times July 31, 2021 09:00 UTC