Bulgaria had the opportunity to start the naturalization procedure for Verona star Noumory Keita back in 2020. The editorial team of Volleyweek has a notarized document, signed by the Malian volleyball player, with which he gives his consent for actions to be taken to acquire Bulgarian citizenship under Article 16 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act.
The first steps were taken at the end of February 2020, when Keita was a player for Serbian Niš. In early March, he arrived in Bulgaria and appeared before a notary to certify his will to start the procedure. The editorial team ofVolleyweek.bgchecked with the notary's office mentioned in the document. They confirmed to our media that they had indeed performed the notarization of the declaration signed by Keita.

The document shows that the possibility for the Malian to obtain Bulgarian citizenship reached concrete actions with his consent. It remains unclear how far the procedure subsequently progressed and why it was not completed. The initial actions coincided with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent restrictions on travel and the work of institutions. It is possible that this situation influenced it, but at the moment there is no confirmation that it was what stopped the process. According to witnesses of the events from that period, there was an opportunity for the work to continue and for Keita to acquire Bulgarian citizenship. This is their assessment of the missed chance, and the reasons why it was not used remain unknown.
Italy is already working on his naturalization
Six years later, the future of the Malian is already linked to Italy. Back in December 2025, VolleyNews quoted the president of the Italian Volleyball Federation, Giuseppe Manfredi, according to whom Keita had applied for Italian citizenship.
In April 2026, Manfredi provided additional details in an interview with "La Repubblica". According to him, the Malian federation has given its consent, and the Italian side is awaiting documents to clarify whether the attacker has participated in official matches for his homeland. At that time, the president of the federation pointed to the 2027 World Championship as a possible horizon for his inclusion in the national team.
The topic remains relevant in September. In a publication from September 24, 2026, "La Repubblica" again writes about the procedure, which is expected to make Keita an Italian citizen in time for the 2027 World Championship. The publication describes the expected development of the case, without reporting already acquired citizenship.
Obtaining citizenship and the right to represent a national team are separate issues, as shown by the checks mentioned by Manfredi. The document that the Volleyweek editorial team has certifies Keita's consent to start the procedure for obtaining Bulgarian citizenship, but the consent, certified by a notary, is only one of the required documents that should have been prepared in the naturalization procedure.
For us, the question remains why the opportunity, which reached the player's signed and notarized consent in 2020, was not fully developed.