Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Friday, 05 June 2026, 21:53 / Updated Friday, 05 June 2026 21:54
Tony Da Silva (45 years old) takes the step to the first national team in his career as a head coach. The former defender of cf.and his former technician Poly Iasi he was officially named the Mali national team selector.
The Portuguese replaces Belgian Tom Saintfiet and will lead the African national team in the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Tony Da Silva, the new national coach of Mali
The Malian Football Federation announced the selection of Anthony “Tony” Da Silva on Friday, following a recruitment process that ran from April 28 to May 26.
Initially, the position was to be occupied by the Congolese technician Florent Ibenge, but he gave up for family reasons, and the Mali officials turned to the former Superliga coach. In the statement published by FEMAFOOT (Malian Football Federation), the management explained the reasons for the choice.
“FEMAFOOT informs the nation and the sports community that, in accordance with the conclusions of the recruitment process launched for the position of Mali national coach, the final choice of the Executive Committee rested on the project presented by Anthony Da Silva.
The Executive Committee will ensure that the strategy of the new technical staff is in full accordance with the vision of the mandate that began on April 16, whose main objective is to satisfy the expectations of the sports public in Mali,” the federation's press release states.
Tony Da Silva, the new national coach of Mali // Photo source: FEMAFOOT
Clear objectives ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations
The federation has already outlined the main objectives of the new coach. According to the extended statement, Tony Da Silva must achieve important results at continental and international level, but also contribute to the development of local football.
The coach will also need to complete his staff with a second coach originally from Mali before the start of the 2027 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Mali will play in Group K, along with Liberia, Rwanda and Cape Verde.
Tony Da Silva, important career in Romania
Tony Da Silva is a name known to fans in Romania. He arrived at CFR Cluj in January 2007 and was part of one of the most successful generations in the history of the Transylvanian club.
With CFR, the former right-back won two Romanian championship titles, in the 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 seasons, three Romanian Cups and a Supercup.
He was also part of the team that produced one of the biggest surprises in the history of Romanian football in the UEFA Champions League, the 2-1 victory on Rome's pitch, at the Stadio Olimpico.
After his retirement, Tony Da Silva moved to the technical bench. In Romania, he trained Poli Iasi, which he saved from relegation in the spring of 2024.
He later returned to Copou in the summer of 2025 to help the club into Ligue 2, but the partnership ended a few months later following disagreements over salary arrears and training conditions.
The appointment at the helm of the Mali national team represents Tony Da Silva's first experience as a coach. He was also Cesar Peixoto's second in Cameroon during 2019-2022.
