Alhassan Kamara: Sierra Leone International Told “Retirement or Face Wheelchair”
A knee injury has forced Sierra Leone’s international Alhassan Kamara to retire at the age of 28, ending his hopes of playing in the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in January.
The striker most recently played competitive football for IFK Varnamo, which he joined in March, against Brage in the Swedish second row five months ago.
He has struggled with a knee injury since 2018 that he suffered plays for the Greek club Panetolikos, which led to his surgery and kept him out of games for over a year.
“I made the decision based on advice from a knee specialist in Sweden who told me to interrupt my career because further injuries to my knee could cause me to end up in a wheelchair,” Kamara told BBC Sport Africa.
“When I got the injury when I played in Greece in 2018, I was also told by doctors that I would not be able to play again. But I did not listen and I returned to Sweden to make a comeback.
“It’s a tough decision because it was not part of my plan to end my career now. I’m disappointed and have sleepless nights. But the decision is good for me.”
At the time of the injury, he admitted that he had faced both mental and physical battles. which he had overcome with the help of his then fiancé, whom he married in June 2019.
Kamara, who presented 16 times for his country who scored four goals, has made the tough decision less than three months before Sierra Leone’s first appearance in a 25-year-old Nations Cup final.
Although he has not played for Leone Stars since 2018, he still had hopes of returning to the national team.
“My dream, like all other players, is to play in a big tournament for my country,” he insisted. “We have now qualified for the African Cup of Nations finals but unfortunately I will not be there – that is not the intention.
“I am proud of the players who qualified the team and who will go to Cameroon. I will give my full support. I will miss the excitement before and after the match, score goals, see teammates and fans.”
He already has plans for the future and will start as an international scout for IFK Varnamo and will also work with young people in communities in Sweden.
After starting his career with local clubs Mighty Blackpool and Kallon FC, Kamara spent most of his career in Sweden, where he played for Boden, former champions AIK Stockholm, Hacken BK, Orebro and Halmstads.
