On one side, various top notch clubs are imposing thousands of dollars as fine on their players; there is one player, one captain who has promised to contribute for the bonus of his teammates who have performed magnificently in the African Cup of nations. African team Mali has entered into the last eight of Africa’s mega soccer event by restricting DR Congo with 1-1 on Monday. Despite unrest in the homeland where French forces are fighting with Islamic extremists, Keita thinks it is an ideal time to call for a peace back home; perhaps he is eager to return home to see the actual ground reality there. This is the second time they are playing with such a problem back home. Former Barcelona midfielder also promises to contribute if there is a shortfall to pay extra salary to high performing players, coz he thinks; it is not all about money alone. Mali will meet host South Africa in the quarterfinal on Saturday, and if they could beat them and enter into the semis; it would be a lifetime opportunity for the team to win the historical cup for the first time in their forty year old history.
Keita reportedly talked with the sports minister about his proposal to pay extra bonuses for the finalist; he also confirmed about his offer to contribute if there is a disagreement over the issue. He said, “There might still be some disagreement over the bonuses for the semifinals, but we said we will work it out. I, myself, actually told the minister that if we made it to the semifinals and that there was still a disagreement over the bonuses, I could myself contribute to these bonuses.”
“You cannot imagine how moved and happy I am to be here today and be able to play a match that will bring joy to my country. This is priceless. Money doesn’t matter in such moments,” he added.
The much awaited semifinal against South Africa will be played in Durban in front of the 500000 strong home spectators, and it would be one of the toughest games for The Eagles. Anyways, no matter what the result of coming showdown will be; Keita is already a winner by initiating a unique attempt to respect and honor the contribution of the players which could make their nation proud of their recent AFCON performance.