A Liverpool fan has invited Sadio Mané to a library just miles from his home town ahead of the World Cup at the end of the year.
Teba Diatta was born in England to an English mum and Senegalese dad. She returned to her dad's country when she was a child with her younger brother Sam and her parents but has been reluctant to return after catching malaria there. The freelance journalist finally returned to Senegal in 2001 for four months where she was taught life lessons and just two years later, after returning to York, she decided to begin raising money for a library in Oussouye.
The 40-year-old managed to raise thousands thanks to the backing of then Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira. The current Crystal Palace boss got in touch with Teba after she reached out to footballer Jean-Marc 'Jimmy' Adjovi-Bocco who managed to get Patrick Vieira to give her a call.
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The French midfielder wasn't the only person to back her campaign ahead of her run from York Minster to Westminster, the likes of David Beckham and the Duke of Cambridge all publically supported her campaign to help those less fortunate than her get access to resources in Senegal. Teba told the ECHO : "In 2001 I went and lived in Senegal for four months and I thought, being the smart a**e that I was, that I'd be the one teaching them loads but I was very wrong.
"It transformed my life and made me want to do something because they had no library, in some areas no electricity, the only water people had was from a well and they would have no flushing toilets. It was like going back in time. I had this vision when I came back to the UK to build a library."
Now, 10 years on from the completion of the library in 2012, Teba is inviting Sadio Mané to visit the building as it will be showing Senegal's World Cup matches live on their outdoor projector for the community to watch. She told the ECHO: "It's been there for a few years but they've just started using it as an open-air cinema so they project films onto the side of it and they're going to be using it for the World Cup which is where I want Sadio's support.
"I'd love Sadio to donate a signed shirt to auction off and raise some money for the library. Then one day when he is in Senegal I would love him to come down as it's not a million miles away from where he's from but I realise if he goes to Germany it might not happen."
Teba, who normally goes to Senegal yearly, is desperate to get the Liverpool player involved as it's his home country and she thinks it could give the library a massive boost with helping local women with their literacy and giving children a place to do their homework.
