Striker Kei Kamara, who told the BBC that he was inspired by Roger Milla for his return to international football at age 40, has left the Sierra Leone national team camp in Liberia. As a result, he will not be available for Tuesday’s game against Zambia.
Sierra Leone and Major League Soccer (MLS) Kei Kamara re-joined Leone Stars two years and seven months after he announced his retirement.
Kamara’s decision to return to international football at the age of 40 was inspired by Cameroon legend Roger Milla in a bid to help Sierra Leone reach their fourth AFCON.
He was aiming to help Sierra Leone qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), and he started but was substituted in the 76th minutes in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Chad.
“There’s only one person I think about when I decided to come do this thing all over again, being part of the national team at this age, and that’s Roger Milla,” Kamara told the BBC World Service.
“Roger Milla was doing it, came back out, played at the World Cup at 42. The World Cup is only two years ago away, so why not?”
His MLS club, Los Angeles, will play Seattle Sounders on November 24th in the MLS Conference semifinals, and his services have been requested as Sierra Leone lost all hopes of reaching Morocco 2025.
On Saturday, the SLFA announced that captain Steven Caulker departed the team’s camp in Monrovia, Liberia, to return home due to urgent personal matters requiring immediate attention.
However, Sierra Leone and Zambia’s final match on Tuesday holds no impact on their standings, as they have already secured their place in Morocco 2025 AFCON.