Karounga Keïta (1941 – 5 March 2023) was a Malian football official, coach and player in France and Mali, and president of one of Mali's two largest club sides

Djoliba AC Djoliba Athletic Club is a Malian football club and one of the two biggest teams in Mali alongside the Stade Malien. The team is based in the capital city of Bamako. It has its headquarters and three training stadia at Complex Sportif Hér� ...

. Keïta was born in

Toukoto Toukoto is a small town and commune near the confluence of the Bakoy and Baloué rivers in the Cercle of Kita in the Kayes Region of south-western Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄� ...

, Mali on September 22, 1941.KEITA Karouga
girondins4ever.com (2004–2006) accessed 2 April 2009 Keïta played for former

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...

football club ''Sport Afrique'' in the late 1950s. When Mali gained independence, the football leagues were reorganised, and ''Sport Afrique'' was merged with ''Foyer du Soudan'' to form Djoliba AC. Keïta played with the new club from their creation in 1960 to 1962, when he traveled to France to pursue a law degree from the

University of Bordeaux The University of Bordeaux (French: ''Université de Bordeaux'') is a Lists of universities in France, public university based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in Southern France, southwestern France. It has several campuses in the cities and towns of Bor ...

.Karounga Keita re-elected president of Djoliba FC of Bamako
. PANA Press, 31 March 2009 While in Bordeaux he was recruited to play for local professional side Girondins de Bordeaux in 1963. He remained as a striker in the French top flight until 1969, making appearances for the Malian National team. He then returned to Mali in 1972, and became coach of his former club. In 2005, he became Vice President of the

Malian Football Federation The Malian Football Federation (french: Fédération Malienne de Football, FMF) is the governing body of football in Mali. Founded in 1960, it joined the CAF in 1962 and has been affiliated with FIFA since 1964. Its first general secretary was G ...

, the nation's football governing body, and was elected president of Djoliba AC in 1990. Keïta was in 2009 re-elected President of Djoliba to a four-year term. Keïta died on 5 March 2023, at the age of 81.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keita, Karounga 1941 births 2023 deaths People from Kayes Region University of Bordeaux alumni Men's association football forwards Malian men's footballers Malian expatriate men's footballers Malian expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate men's footballers in France Ligue 1 players FC Girondins de Bordeaux players Mali men's international footballers Djoliba AC players Malian football officials Malian football managers 21st-century Malian people African Games silver medalists for Mali African Games medalists in football Competitors at the 1965 All-Africa Games