CF Montréal forward Kei Kamara has told the press that he is not trying to buy love from anyone. But rather want a long-term contract with the intention to retire at the club, and also enables him to move his family to Montreal.
Kamara spoke to the media on Tuesday for the first time since saying in a January 11 social media post that he had asked CF Montreal for a trade.
According to Graham Hughes of the Canadian Press, Kamara has been open about wanting to stay in Montreal and move his family there, but not without a long-term contract.
The forward told the press that his affection for Montreal has not changed, even as his contract dispute with the city’s Major League Soccer club dominates training camp.
Asked if he was negotiating through social media and if he regretted past posts expressing his love for Montreal, Kamara said “I’m not trying to buy love from anyone.”
“I will be lying if I said I regret expressing my love for Montreal. When you love someone, you don’t regret expressing your love for them,” Kamara said.
“My family came here in November, and it was amazing: what we did last year was amazing. That’s why I knocked on the door and asked if I could retire here.”
The divide between CF Montréal and Kamara’s camp began before Montreal’s playoff run in October, when he and sporting director Olivier Renard discussed a new contract.
As reported by Ivanoh Demers on Radio-Canada, CF Montréal vice-president and sporting director Olivier Renard offered Kamara a non-negotiable two-year contract.
The 38-year-old Kamara said he was looking for a long-term contract and planned to move his family to Montreal.
He said he was instead offered a two-year “take it or leave it” deal and was informed that there would be no negotiation. Feeling like the terms were not suitable enough for him and his family to commit, he asked for his option to not be picked up in order to find a new club
After his option was picked up, there was renewed optimism within Kamara’s camp. When it became clear that his contract offer would not change, he publicly announced that he was looking to leave the club.
Kamara then missed the first week of the club’s pre-season due to illness and was forced to play catch-up with his fitness throughout the last three weeks, as he missed two more sessions.
Credit: cbc.ca
Okay