The agent of Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr and Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara has accused clubs of treating African footballers as “just a commodity” after both players failed to complete moves before the transfer deadline.
Diomansy Kamara, who represented Senegal during his playing career and also played for Portsmouth, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham, said African players must be shown greater respect and given a stronger voice in decisions over their futures.
Sarr had been linked with a move away from Crystal Palace, with Liverpool and Galatasaray among the clubs reportedly interested in the Senegal international. However, he remained at Selhurst Park after the window closed.
Camara’s proposed £47m transfer to Chelsea also collapsed in dramatic circumstances, with Monaco pulling out of the agreement shortly before the 23:00 deadline.
Kamara responded to the failed deals in an Instagram story posted on Wednesday morning. He wrote: “The cases of Ismaila Sarr and Lamine Camara must all interrogate us.
“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.
“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.”
The collapse of Camara’s move became one of the major developments on deadline day. Chelsea believed they had agreed a deal with Monaco worth £47m with fewer than two hours of the window remaining.
The proposed transfer would have strengthened Chelsea’s midfield after the British record departure of Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City for £125m left Xabi Alonso’s side short of options in that area.
However, as the deadline approached, Monaco reversed its position, leaving Chelsea angry and surprised.
Sources at Chelsea said the clubs had reached a complete written agreement for Camara to move to Stamford Bridge. But the situation changed after Monaco renegotiated its own transfer of Folarin Balogun to Everton.
Chelsea were then informed that the agreement for Camara was being withdrawn.
People close to proceedings at Stamford Bridge described Monaco’s conduct as a deeply unprofessional way for one club to do business with another.
Kamara’s intervention placed the focus not only on the failure of the two transfers but also on the influence clubs hold over players during negotiations. His comments argued that a player’s career plans and personal ambitions should not be secondary to the financial and contractual discussions between clubs.
