FORMER Liverpool star Naby Keita has been banned for the rest of the season by Bundesliga club Werder Bremen.
The breakdown of his relationship with the club came after he refused to get on the team bus for Bremen’s clash with Bayer Leverkusen.
Keita was told by manager Ole Werner that he would not be in his squad ahead of the game, but was still expected to travel with the team.
Rather than make the journey, he opted to travel home on his own.
Bremen would go on to be trounced 5-0 by Leverkusen as they won their first ever Bundesliga title.
The victory preceded wild celebrations as fans ran onto the pitch and lit flairs.
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So perhaps it was just as well Keita wasn’t there in the stadium to witness the pandemonium.
Keita joined Bremen this season after leaving Liverpool.
But the injuries that plagued him in Merseyside followed him to Germany as he’s made just five appearances in 2023-24.
Keita has also been handed a “substantial fine” by the club although this remains unspecified.
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A short statement released by Bremen on X read: “SV Werder Bremen have suspended Naby Keïta until the end of the season.
“The club have also handed the midfielder a substantial fine. The 28-year-old will no longer train with the team or be part of the first-team dressing room.”
German journalist Florian Plettenburg revealed that Keita earns £41k-a-week, which will likely figure into his “substantial” fine.
Keita will miss Bremen’s final five games of the season.
The midfielder joined Liverpool to high expectations, paying £52million to sign him from RB Leipzig in 2018.
But he found it difficult to stay fit, and made 129 appearances for the Reds across five years at the club – many of these coming from the bench.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
