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Barcelona's Seydou Keita reveals Mali refused qualification bonuses to prove commitment
The 32-year-old says all the players refused to accept bonuses for qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations to demonstrate how much they love their country
3 Feb 2012 20:35:00
By Kent Mensah
Panoramic
Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita has revealed that Mali refused to take qualification bonuses for the Africa Cup of Nations ahead of their quarter-finals berth to emphasise their commitment to the country.
Mali beat lowly-placed Botswana to gain qualification to the knockout stage at the 2012 Afcon.
“The players refused to receive a bonus for qualifying for this tournament to demonstrate how much we love our country,” the Barcelona player was quoted on SuperSport.
“This is a very young group and I must say to the people of Mali that we love our country and we are very happy to come to this tournament to represent them."
“We qualified to this stage for the people of Mali and we will want them to continue to support us,” he added.
Mali last qualified for the quarter-finals of the continental showpiece at Tunisia 2004.
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Mali beat lowly-placed Botswana to gain qualification to the knockout stage at the 2012 Afcon.
“The players refused to receive a bonus for qualifying for this tournament to demonstrate how much we love our country,” the Barcelona player was quoted on SuperSport.
“This is a very young group and I must say to the people of Mali that we love our country and we are very happy to come to this tournament to represent them."
“We qualified to this stage for the people of Mali and we will want them to continue to support us,” he added.
Mali last qualified for the quarter-finals of the continental showpiece at Tunisia 2004.
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
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| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
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| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
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Mali - Algeria
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Algeria
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Mali 0-2 Algeria
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