A native doctor who collected 33,500 euros from Malians by promising victory for Mali in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), was arrested for fraud after the team lost.

Recalled that Mali’s national team was eliminated on Friday in the quarter finals by Senegal 1-0.

The man, identified by local authorities as Sinayogo, reportedly claimed he possessed spiritual powers capable of ensuring Mali’s national team would win the AFCON tournament.

Trusting these claims, supporters and sympathisers are said to have contributed more than 22 million CFA francs (over 55 million in Nigerian currency) in donations, according to an associate.

Following Mali’s defeat, an angry mob showed up at his home before police intervened and removed him.

Sinayogo was arrested in the Malian capital Bamako on Saturday for “fraud” and was being held at the cybercrime division, according to two videographers who visited him.“Charlatanism is punishable by law in Mali”, an official from the division told AFP.

However, arresting the man while the national team was still competing would have been difficult “in the heat of the Africa Cup of Nations,” he added.

The man, formerly known as a political activist, “proclaimed himself a marabout overnight and made a fortune”, a social media content creator close to him said.