Kamara Slams Clubs Over Treatment Of African Players After Sarr, Camara Transfer Drama

Diomansy Kamara, the agent of Ismaïla Sarr and Lamine Camara, has criticised football clubs for treating African players like commodities rather than individuals with a voice in decisions over their careers.

Kamara made the comments earlier today, September 2, after a dramatic transfer deadline day saw Sarr’s proposed move to Liverpool blocked by Crystal Palace, while Camara’s £47 million transfer from AS Monaco to Chelsea also collapsed.

Reacting on his official Instagram handle, the former Senegal international said the situations involving both players should prompt serious questions about how African footballers are treated in the transfer market.

“The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must all interrogate us,” he wrote.

“We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background.

“Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices.”

Kamara said transfers should involve more than negotiations between clubs and stressed that players must have a greater say in decisions that determine their futures.

He said, “A transfer shouldn’t just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there’s a man, a career, dreams and life choices.

“The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player?

“The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future.

“Let’s never forget what’s important: behind every success, it’s the players who write history first.”