Sadio Mane: Why Senegal Star Refused to Dedicate AFCON Goal to His Wife Aisha Tamba

• Sadio Mane married his teenage wife, Aisha Tamba before AFCON 2023
• He scored his only goal at the tournament in the 3-1 win over Cameroon
• Mane instead chose to dedicate the goal to teammate, Cheikhou Kouyate

Sadio Mane refused to be caught in a reporter’s seeming trap after refusing to dedicate his goal in the 3-1 win over Cameroon in Senegal’s second group stage game.

Mane married his wife, Aisha Tamba days before flying out with defending champions, the Senegal national team, to Ivory Coast for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

His marriage sparked some negative reactions on social media due to her reported age of 18, with many fans claiming the footballer had been seeing her as a minor.

There were initial claims she was 26, which were later debunked. There was also no time for a honeymoon for the former Liverpool forward, who flew out to Ivory Coast very shortly after the wedding.

Sadio Mane trains for AFCON with Edouard Mendy after wedding to wife Aisha Tamba: Video

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His wife then returned to school based on an agreement with his family, and she was given a hero’s welcome, as reported by Mirror UK.

Mane dedicates goal to Kouyate

Mane scored his first goal at the ongoing AFCON in the 3-1 win over francophone rivals, Cameroon in the second game of Group C.

Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after the game via Goal, the 31-year-old explained the thought process behind his goal, taking advantage of how defenders play at the tournament to beat Andre Onana.

He was almost trapped in a tight angle after being asked to dedicate his goal, but he pulled a smart one.

"I dedicate it to Cheikhou Kouyate. I know where you want to get at," he said, laughing at the reporter's apparent attempt to get him to dedicate the goal to his wife.

Kouyate was permitted to leave the Senegal training camp and return to Dakar after the passing of his father on January 16, with his funeral scheduled for a day later.

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Mane's wife’s father confirms her age

Sports Brief also previously reported on Mane's wife's father confirming her age to be 18 after stark reactions to his daughter's age after her marriage to the Al-Nassr star.

Amadou Tamba, who worked as a contractor on some of the footballer’s projects in Senegal, explained how the union came about and how it all happened at the time it did.