Werder Bremen have suspended Naby Keita for the rest of the season and also handed him a fine after failing to travel with the team for the Bundesliga game at Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Bremen lost the game 5-0 which handed Leverkusen their first-ever league title and the club revealed that Keita opted to stay back at his home when he realised he was not going to be part of the matchday squad at BayArena.
The 29-year-old will not train with the Werder Bremen first team nor will he be part of the dressing room.
“Werder Bremen have suspended Naby Keita until the end of the season. The club have also handed the midfielder a substantial fine. The 29-year-old will no longer train with the team or be part of the first-team dressing room,” read a statement on the club website.
Club director Clemens Fritz stated that Keita let the team down and were left with no other option than to punish him.
“We won’t tolerate Naby’s behaviour,” Fritz asserted.
“He let his team down in a time of difficulty surrounding our recent run of form and squad availability and put his own interests above those of the team.
“We can’t allow that. At this stage of the season, we need full focus on the remaining games and a team who stick together. That’s why we’ve been left with no alternative.”
Naby #Keïta bis Saisonende suspendiert.
Außerdem haben die Grün-Weißen dem Mittelfeldspieler eine erhebliche Geldstrafe auferlegt. Der 28-Jährige wird fortan weder mit der Mannschaft trainieren, noch sich in der Kabine der Profis aufhalten.
👉 https://t.co/IfxFdONsGL#Werder pic.twitter.com/mNZlfulrDY
— SV Werder Bremen (@werderbremen) April 16, 2024
He joined Bremen last summer from Liverpool on a three-year contract but has only played five times in the Bundesliga after being hampered by a muscle injury.
He played four times for Guinea at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where they reached the quarter-finals.
