Kei Kamara: Sierra Leone FA To Investigate Striker For “Defaming” Benin Hotel Accommodation Of Leone Stars

The Sierra Leone Football Association has announced an investigation into national team striker Kei Kamara after the player posted videos online criticising the national team’s hotel accommodation in the Nigerian city of Benin.

The Leone Stars are currently in Nigeria for an AFCON qualifier against the Super Eagles at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin on Friday in Benin.

But it appears Kamara is not too pleased with the Lushville Hotel and Suites accommodation where the Sierra Leonean delegation have been lodged and the striker went on social media to make his feelings known.

In viral videos making the rounds on social media, the 36-year-old striker can be seen complaining about the texture of the pillows and mattress in his room which he said made sleeping impossible.

He also jokingly replayed a conversation he had about his concerns with a hotel employee.

“I go to the front desk, talk to the lady about how I can’t sleep,” the Minnesota United striker said in one of the videos which was apparently shot in the early hours of Thursday.

“She’s so calm ‘don’t worry, don’t worry we’ll fix everything in the morning, don’t worry’. I said, ‘I can’t sleep, I’ve been lying down for two or three, four hours, I can’t sleep’. ‘Don’t worry we’ll fix it in the morning we’ll fix it’.

“And why can’t I sleep?”, he asked before pointing to the pillows and the bed. “This bed, this pillow” he replies while striking the mattress.

Raising the pillow he says “my head cannot sink in this thing, my head can’t get in the pillow. So my neck hurts. My body can’t get comfortable because this (hitting the mattress) is a box spring not a mattress.”

The videos have attracted a lot of reactions with many critical of the hotel accommodation provided the Leone Stars by the Nigeria Football Federation.

But with just hours to the all important match against Nigeria that sort of publicity is probably not what the SLFA wants and the clearly embarrassed federation issued a swift apology to the hotel and the NFF and announced an investigation into Kamara’s behaviour.

“The Sierra Leone Football Association will open an investigation into a viral video posted by the Sierra Leone National Team striker Kei Kamara in  which he is  seen defaming a hospitality establishment at which the National Team Delegation including the Minister of Sports  Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, the  Executive Director of the National Sports Authority Dr. Kenneth Brima and the President of Sierra Leone Football  Association Madam Isha Johansen  are  currently residing,” the SLFA said in a statement on Thursday.

“The SLFA unreservedly apologises to  the  Management of Lushville Hotel and Suites in Benin City, Edo State,  emphasizing that the views expressed  by Kei Kamara are his individual comments which are strongly  condemned by the FA.

“The SLFA would also like to apologize to the Nigerian Football Federation for Kei Kamara’s unprofessional conduct and any embarrassment caused. Further  information will be provided on the conclusion of  the investigation.”

It is not clear if Kamara will be suspended for the game although that would be unlikely.

This saga is the latest in a series of infractions from the striker who has previously gotten in trouble over his social media activity and has been suspended thrice before by the SLFA.

Kamara who has only just returned to the international fold was previously dropped from the national team in August 2019 for disciplinary reasons but was recalled later before retiring from international duty in November 2019, after falling out with then manager Sellas Tetteh.