AFCON2023: Mauritania player Kamara shocks everyone with AK47 nickname

Football fans have been left puzzled after a deadly weapon was used in Mauritania’s team news ahead of their AFCON2023 opener against Burkina Faso. 

On Tuesday, an image appeared on social media showing Aboubakar Kamara’s name as “AK47” Pulse Sports can report.

The former Fulham man and his teammates faced the Burkinabes in their first game at the 34th AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire. 

Ahead of the game, the Mauritania team broke the internet following their starting lineup with a player named ‘AK47’.

The picture posted on the microblogging site, X, formerly Twitter by Actu Foot Afrique, showed both lineups but it was the Mauritania’s team news that made the rounds following Kamara’s bizarre nickname.

According to a Daily Star report, the 28-year-old had won number 47 (but wears number 27 for his country) for most of his career and due to his initials ‘A and K’ was nicknamed AK47.

Moments later,  a post from CAF’s X account confirmed that the player was indeed Kamara, who led the lines against the 2013 finalists Burkina Faso. 

Mauritania went on to lose 1-0, with Kamara not making the nickname proud on the pitch as he lasted just 28 minutes before he was forced off due to an injury. 

Kamara’s bizarre nickname went viral with fans taking to X to voice their opinions.

“I'm actually dead big "AK-47" is Aboubakar Kamara the striker that used to be at Fulham and fought Mitrovic (the first-choice penalty taker) to take a penalty a few seasons ago and then missed it. And then later got arrested over some training ground incident,” one said. 

“There’s no way there’s a player actually going by ‘AK-47’” another fan added.

“I am chuckling at the rest of internet discovering Aboubakar Kamara,” a not-so-surprised third stated.