Former Leeds United midfielder Glen Kamara would have known right from the get-go – deep down – that his summer switch to Saudi Arabia would rub plenty of his supporters up the wrong way.
Just six months after drawing the curtains on his brief spell at Elland Road, Kamara swapped Rennes for the Riyadh-based Al-Shabab.
So, considering Saudi Arabia’s well-publicised human right’s issues, the one-time Rangers, Dundee and Arsenal man would have known that the international break – and an inevitable reunion with the media back home in Finland – would force him into answering some rather awkward questions.
Kamara has enjoyed a pretty bright start in Saudi. He’s been on the winning side four out of six times so far, claiming 5-1 and 6-0 victories along the way.
And when asked to explain how he went from Leeds United to Al-Shabab in the space of just half a year – that Elland Road exit left Kamara feeling ‘bittersweet’ – he now suggests that this was a decision borne out of necessity.
Glen Kamara addresses Saudi Arabia controversy after Leeds United exit
It certainly wasn’t what he had planned when joining ambitious Ligue 1 outfit Rennes over the summer. His first spell in a major, top-five European league.
Kamara’s short stay in Brittany started slowly, however, and got worse from there. To the point where the £8 million signing was frozen out of the first-team picture completely by ex-Argentina boss – and one time Marcelo Bielsa protege – Jorge Sampaoli.
“I’m a professional footballer and it’s a professional league. This opportunity came along, and there weren’t many at the time. I jumped at the chance,” Kamara tells Yle Urheilu.
“I’m looking for myself, like I always do. I enjoy football. The season in France was difficult. The coach moved me aside. I needed a change. I ended up in Saudi Arabia. I’m here playing football now. Hopefully, the direction is upward.
“It’s difficult for me because I absolutely believe in equal rights for everyone. Everything happened so fast that it was difficult to focus on what was happening there. Before my move, I didn’t know much about the country and its affairs.
“I don’t know if you know how things are going, but they are happening very quickly. I didn’t have much time to understand what was happening in the country.
“My beliefs are my beliefs and I think everyone deserves equal rights. I understand [the criticism]. Like I said, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I need to research the matter more and understand better.”
Kamara at odds with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ligue 1 claim
Kamara is, of course, far from the first player to cause consternation by swapping European football for the Middle East. Among the household names currently plying their trade in Saudi Arabia are Aleksandr Mitrovic, Riyad Mahrez, Fabinho, N’Golo Kante, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves and – the man who really put the Saudi Pro League on the map – one Cristiano Ronaldo.
The legendary Al-Nassr superstar quipped back in December that Saudi Arabia’s top flight had overtaken France’s Ligue 1 in terms of quality. Kamara, however, is better placed than most to pass judgement on such a claim.
A claim he clearly has issues with.
“I don’t agree with [Ronaldo],” adds Kamara. “It was his comment and opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.”
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