There is never an alpha without an omega. Kei Kamara has gone from being one of CF Montreal’s most adored players to being constantly lambasted in public by club representatives.
And that’s how the striker’s career ended in Montreal: in a sweet mix of discord and hearsay. The club traded Kamara to the Chicago Fire for a minimum $250,000 general allowance on Friday, the eve of the season kickoff. The return could amount to $400,000 with performance bonuses.
“We are happy to have had Kei [Kamara]. He respected the fans, the media and the players, but he disrespected the club. […] What you see is the tip of the iceberg. We had to deal with the other party, ”said the vice-president and chief sports officer of CF Montreal, Olivier Renard, during a videoconference Friday evening.
No one is bigger than the club.
Olivier Renard, Vice President and Chief Sports Officer of CF Montreal
Hired in February 2022, when the club had already started its Champions League season, Kamara quickly established himself as an important cog in the team, despite himself. The other attackers undermined by injuries, he was able to pull out of the game and prove to be a very important trooper for Wilfried Nancy.
He took part in 32 of 34 regular season games, where he notably vibrated the strings nine times while obtaining seven assists. He also started for both playoff games.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
In his only campaign with CF Montreal, Kei Kamara took part in 32 of 34 regular season games, and in both playoff games.
At the end of this successful season on a collective and personal level, Kamara finished second in the title of “comeback of the year” in MLS. Everything that will follow is a soap opera with the air of tragedy.
The end
While he is a free agent in February 2022, Kamara agrees with the Montreal eleven on the terms of a one-year contract with an optional year. In his first season with the club, Kamara receives $94,000. A bargain, especially compared to his salary with Minnesota United in 2020 where he pocketed $ 750,000.
The club is therefore activating its option for this campaign.
Then, in the middle of the first week of training camp – from which he was then absent – he tweeted a request to the CFM to trade him. Eventually, he rejoins the group after failing a second time.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Kei Kamara during CF Montreal training camp
“He has already lost a week of work […] and today he is not here. Frankly, I’m disappointed,” admitted Bleu-blanc-noir head coach Hernán Losada.
According to Kamara, before the playoffs, he let CF Montreal officials know that he wanted to retire in Montreal. Despite the fact that he was already under contract, the club made him a two-year offer which, according to the player, “was not enough” to allow him to move to Quebec with his family.
The offer was enough to bring not only Kei and his family, but also his neighbor.
Olivier Fox
The CFM also offered him an opportunity to become a coach with the Academy after the said contract.
Kamara followed up with a counter offer, but it was declined. The original offer was “take it or leave it”.
In the meantime, the CFM has replenished its bank of attackers. The club acquired Quebecer Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, while Chinonso Offor returned from the Belgian championship following his loan. Like Kamara, both rookies are 6’3″, despite having a different profile.
The more the season approached, the more there was a vagueness concerning the Kamara file. Was he going to play? Was he going to be left out? No one really knew.
Asked to comment on his reason for dropping Kamara for a pre-season game, Losada said he had “no updates” to make on him and that he was tired of talking about the Sierra Leone forward’s situation.
“It’s my fifth or sixth press conference with the team, and I know he’s an important player, but I think it’s a bit of abuse to ask me about him every time. “, he had launched.
Then the outcome was known the day before the first CFM duel.
Renard spoke of a “lyrically unacceptable” event in October with Vassili Cremanzidis, his deputy, during the negotiation of the new contract. The two parties did not negotiate any further.
Renard added that he “defended the club” and claimed that maintaining a firm stance by refusing to release Kamara enabled the team to avoid encouraging other players to employ the same tactic.
Renard says he tried to contact Kamara in different ways to announce his trade, but was unable to reach him. The divorce was therefore done by text message.
The 38-year-old veteran therefore takes back his backpack and will wear the colors of a 10e team in MLS.