TOP-FLIGHT star Kader Keita is facing over nine years in prison after being charged with manslaughter.
The Ivory Coast international plays for Romanian Super Liga club Rapid Bucharest.
But the 25-year-old midfielder was arrested last month after his car allegedly struck an elderly woman.
The March 3 incident reportedly took place on a pedestrian crossing in Bucharest’s Sector 2 district.
Keita was then charged with causing grievous bodily harm as well as with failing to report an accident.
However the unnamed woman, 68, passed away in a city hospital early on Tuesday – causing the footballer’s GBH charge to be upgraded to one of manslaughter.
Under Romanian law both this offence and the one of not reporting an accident carry jail terms of up to seven years.
And if Keita receives the maximum penalty for both offences he will have to serve nine years and four months in jail – seven years plus one-third of the second seven-year term.
The midfielder had played in Rapid’s 2-1 win at Unirea Slobozia on the eve of the accident, returning to capital city Bucharest around midnight.
The collision reportedly occurred around 5.45am, when Keita was returning from a Ramadan prayer service.
He is said to have turned up for training with Rapid later that morning without first notifying police, but was later arrested.
His alleged victim suffered a fractured skull, broken pelvis, leg and ribs.
She was treated in intensive care, but finally succumbed to her injuries.
Keita has played for French clubs Ajaccio and Lille, Belgians Westerlo, Swiss outfit Sion and Turks Sivasspor.
He joined Romanian club Cluj in 2024, switching to their league rivals Rapid a year ago.
