Kanoute given OK to play for Mali
LONDON, England -- Tottenham striker Frederic Kanoute can play for Mali at the African Nations Cup after FIFA said he was eligible to represent his parents' country.
FIFA also decided Leeds' Lamine Sakho and Mohamed Sissoko of Valencia can play for Senegal and Mali respectively in Tunisia from January 24.
All three represented France as Under-21s but, under new rules which came into force on January 1, they applied to change countries as they have dual citizenship.
Tottenham, who had expressed their disappointment at the prospect of losing their in-form striker for a long period, have asked FIFA to delay Kanoute's departure for the tournament.
Under FIFA rules the call-up period for major finals is 14 days -- but a spokesman for the struggling Premier League club said: "We have written to FIFA asking them to help in terms of relaxing that release period."
"We received official notification from Mali requesting that Fredi join them on the 11th January, which means that he is clear to play for us at Leeds on Saturday. Now we hope that Mali will delay his arrival until January 18," he added.
That would allow Kanoute to play against Liverpool the previous day as Tottenham battle to move away from the relegation zone.
