The father of Sadio Mane’s 18-year-old bride has disclosed that the couple entered a traditional arranged marriage and did not date before their wedding. The former Liverpool star, now playing for Al Nassr, married Aisha Tamba in an Islamic ceremony on 7 January in Keur Massar, Dakar, Senegal, just days before the Africa Cup of Nations.
Amadou Tamba, the bride’s father, said Mane first met his daughter more than two years ago when she visited his family with her mother. “He probably saw something special in her and his parents appreciated her as well. They came to see me. We discussed as per the tradition, agreed on everything and waited for this day to happen,” he explained, adding that the pair were not dating because Aisha was still young.
Mr Tamba, who has worked on construction projects for the Mane family since 2013, praised his son-in-law as “a good person” with strong faith and humility. He advised Mane: “Marriage is not easy. I would advise him to treat her like his own daughter, his own sister. To support her.”
Senegal’s president, Macky Sall, joked that the forward now “has another job apart from scoring goals”, prompting Mane to chuckle awkwardly. The player later expressed delight at the well-wishes, saying: “I think that all the people have congratulated me and wished me [luck] so I am happy and I hope that it’ll be okay.”
