Keita believes Mali lost out due to inexperience


Mali captain Seydou Keita says his team lacked the experience needed to cope with Nigeria in their African Cup of Nations semifinal on Wednesday.

The former Barcelona midfielder says Mali failed collectively and that the relative youth of most of the team "played a very important role" in the 4-1 defeat at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Keita again failed to lead his national team to a title, despite another good chance to succeed. It was his fourth semifinal appearance with Mali and again he is on the losing side.

He was one of many players to have said that victory would've been extra special because of the difficulties fans are enduring with political instability and conflicts back home.