CF Montreal: Kei Kamara explains his version of the facts

Faced with contract negotiations that do not satisfy him with CF Montreal, Kei Kamara might resign himself to continuing his career elsewhere.

Kamara has still not officially addressed the media since arriving in Montreal for training camp following coming out on social media demanding a trade. On Friday, however, he opened up in a video on Instagram to explain the situation.

The 38-year-old veteran says he wanted a long-term deal with CFM but the club were not open to counter-offers.

After pocketing US$94,000 in 2022, he and the team met last October. The discussions were well underway, but in the end, the CFM offered him two options, either one year or two years. For him, a single year was not enough, seeing himself playing until he was 40 years old. As for the two-year deal, his agent made a counter-offer, but the executives reportedly explained to him that it was take it or leave it, and that there was no possibility of negotiation.

“The off-season was difficult for me, because I wondered a lot regarding what was going to happen to me and my family,” he said.

Kamara’s family currently resides in the United States and he would have liked them all to settle in the metropolis, but not on these conditions. They actively searched for a home and a school for their three children. He claims to be in love with Montreal and to have enjoyed his experience there. He would have liked to end his career there.

“I’ve loved this city for a long time. I was delighted when I received the call offering me to play in Montreal. I was offered a “senior” contract. How might I go down to a “senior” contract given my history? “says Kamara, who repeated several times that his relationship with the city was a” love story “.

“In my opinion, I took the biggest pay cut in MLS, but I agreed to it because I wanted to come here. My wife supported me in this. I took the leap because I wanted to follow my heart, but it was hard for me in 2022 to be away from my family. »

Despite this, Kamara assures that he will continue to respect his commitments with the club as long as he is in Montreal and he is not closed to the idea of ​​​​staying if the conditions are favorable there.

“I want to be closer to my family. Whether here or elsewhere. »

“But my heart is still here. I love this place. I love the guys I meet in the locker room every day. I am still under contract with Montreal and I will fully respect this contract. »