Dabo was not in the squad as Mali qualified for the 2008 African Cup of Nations. Goals from Freddie Kanoute and Mamady Sidibe gave Mali the victory they needed to put them through to the Nation's Cup finals, which are due to be held this January. Dabo was not named in the 18 man squad because he still has not made a big impact at Le Havre. Fortunately, the final roster for the Nation's Cup can have 23 people on it, so if Dabo does well until January and convinces Mali coach Jean-François Jodar he deserves another chance, there is still a decent chance he will be playing in the tournament (which is in Ghana).