Werder Bremen announced in a press release on Tuesday the suspension of their Guinean international Naby Keita, who also received a “significant” fine. The German club explains that the 29-year-old midfielder will no longer train with the first team and will no longer be able to visit the professional dressing room until the end of the season.
“Naby Keïta let his team down”
The reason ? “Naby Keïta did not travel with the team to Leverkusen on Saturday after learning he would not start for the Bundesliga match against Bayer, but decided to return home and stay away of the match”, details the German club, 12th in the Bundesliga with five points ahead of Mainz, play-offs.
“With this action, he let his team down in a tense sporting and personal situation and placed himself above the team,” explains Clemens Fritz, head of professional football at Werder Bremen, in the press release.
Naby Keita, who joined Werder free of any contract last summer after five seasons spent in the colors of Liverpool, has only played five matches (a single start last October against Hoffenheim). The Guinean is experiencing a new season marked by injuries. Last year, he only made 13 appearances for the Reds, with whom he won the Premier League and Champions League.
