Paul Pogba features in a charity match in Guinea, meets ruling junta

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba on Thursday met the Guinean Junta right after featuring in a charity match.

Pogba was greeted in the stadium by Guinea's military ruler Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a military coup in September 2021.

The event brought together former soccer glories, including Senegalese El Hadji Diouf, Ivorian Fodé Mansaré, and the Guinean coach Kaba Diawara.

"Very happy to be here, very happy to see them, honestly it warms the heart, it shows the support they still have for me, and for Guineans, and it's really nice to see," said Paul Pogba.

"It's always good to be here, I think for me there is no Senegal, no Guinea. I believe that today we must be Pan-Africans and be there for Africa. Today Guinea needs us, we must respond as worthy sons of Africa. And I believe that we must give hand in hand, and that is how we will build our Africa," said  El Hadji Diouf, a former Senegalese international footballer.

"Frankly it's a pleasure to see this beautiful world that we miss so much, but that's how it is, it's Africa that wins, it's Guinea that wins. And thank you to the organizers because it's been a long time since we've seen the organization like this, so it goes straight to the heart really," said Fodé Mansaré, a Guinean international footballer.

Dressed in a traditional outfit, the world champion paraded through the city accompanied by the crowd upon his arrival in Conakry Tuesday.

His stay in Guinea is organized by the association "48 hours for Guinea", which fights for better access to water, health, and education in the country.