Friday , 1 August 2025
Home International Sports Football African footballing legend Salif Keita passes away at 76
FootballInternational Sports

African footballing legend Salif Keita passes away at 76

Bamako: The Malian footballer Salif Keita, who was awarded the first African Footballer of the Year title in 1970 and is considered one of the continent’s sporting icons, passed away in Bamako on Saturday at the age of 76, as announced by the country’s football federation.

Keita had a distinguished career in France, playing for St Etienne and Olympique de Marseille, as well as for Valencia in Spain and Sporting Lisbon, before concluding his career in the North American Soccer League.

He made his debut for Mali at the age of 16 and later helped the team reach the final of the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations. From 2005 to 2009, Keita served as the president of the Mali Football Federation.

In the meantime, Dr Patrice Motsepe, on behalf of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has expressed his condolences to Keita’s family, the Fédération Malienne de Football, his friends, and colleagues.

In 1972, Salif Keita was a member of the National Team of Mali, which finished as the runner-up in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Nottingham Forest sign Swiss winger Dan Ndoye from Bologna on five-year deal

Nottingham Forest have signed Switzerland winger Dan Ndoye from Bologna on a...

McGregor loses civil appeal over sexual assault ruling

Conor McGregor has lost his civil jury appeal against a ruling that...

Isak trains alone at former club as Liverpool interest grows amid Newcastle exit talk

Alexander Isak is training alone at former club Real Sociedad as uncertainty...

Lucas Paquetá cleared of spot-fixing allegations but faces sanction for non-cooperation

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá has been cleared of spot-fixing allegations by...