BREMEN, Germany — Werder Bremen has suspended former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keïta for the rest of the season after he skipped the team’s last Bundesliga match.
Bremen said in a statement on Tuesday that it also gave Keïta “a substantial fine” and that he will no longer train with the team.
On Sunday, Keïta chose not to travel with the rest of the team to the game at Bayer Leverkusen and instead went home after he found out he was not going to be in the starting lineup, the club said.
“As a club, we won’t tolerate Naby’s behavior. 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,” Bremen sporting director Clemens Fritz said. “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.”
Keïta joined Bremen from Liverpool last summer but struggled to make an impact in an injury-plagued season. The 29-year-old Guinea midfielder made only five Bundesliga appearances all season, four of those as a substitute.
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