Benin coach Reinhard Fabisch was approached before an African Cup of Nations match against Mali by a man asking if he would help influence the outcome of the match.

Benin lost the Group B match 1- 0 after conceding a penalty at the start of the second half.

''He wanted to find out from me if there was any possibility of manipulating (the match),'' Fabisch said yesterday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. ''I told him, 'Look, you have two minutes to leave the hotel or I will call the police.'''

Fabisch said the man spoke to him at the team's hotel Saturday, two days before Benin's opening match in Sekondi.

''He approached me in the hotel reception,'' Fabisch said. ''But I cut him short and told him to leave. It doesn't help football. But obviously it's today's mentality.''

Fabisch believes he would have been offered money had he accepted the proposal, but said no money was offered initially.

Benin next plays Ivory Coast in Sekondi on Friday. The tournament ends February 10 and is being held across Ghana