Mali female national team coach, Saloum Mohammed believes Ghana's eviction from the group phase of the Total Africa Women's Cup of Nations led to a declination of patronage in the tournament.
Ghana bowed out of the competition on home soil at the group stages after picking only four points in three games.
The host won the opening match against Algeria but succumbed to Mali, which proved decisive in their exit before drawing against Cameroon in the final game.
Mali progressed ahead of Ghana after beating Algeria 3-2 in their final game of the group phase. However, they got beaten by Cameroon as they finished the tournament fourth.
Cameroon cruised to a 4-2 win over Mali in the 2018 Africa Women's Cup of Nations (AWCON) third-placed match. After the game at the Cape Coast Stadium, Saloum revealed the low patronage of the tournament is as a result of Ghana's early eviction from the tournament.
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"Our snatch away of joy from Ghana by booking the qualification had effect on the tournament".
"After the host, Ghana got evicted from the Total Africa Women's Cup of Nations attendance at the various stadia has been very poor". He told the press.
South Africa will meet Nigeria in the finals of the 2018 African Women Cup Of Nations at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday.