Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 10y

Facebook lobby seals Kamara return

Italian third-division side US Catanzaro have signed former Premier League forward Diomansy Kamara after a fans' Facebook campaign for him to return was successful.

Kamara, 33, who played for the club 13 years ago, was available on a free transfer after being released by Turkish side Eskisehirspor where he had been playing since 2011.

Over 12,000 backed the social networking campaign and, on Sunday, their efforts paid off with the former Portsmouth, West Brom, Fulham, Celtic and Leicester player signing a two-year deal with the ambitious Lega Pro outfit.

"It was in 2001 when Kamara scored nine goals in 34 appearances and took his place in the Giallorossi fans' hearts," a statement on the club's website said.

Club president Giuseppe Cosentini explained that "after having personally got to know 'Joe' and seen how attached he was to the Giallorossi colours, I decided to make this dream of our fans come true. I did it for the love of Catanzaro and because I want to lead the Aquile as high as possible, together with Kamara."

After leaving Catanzaro, Kamara had spells with Chievo and Modena, with whom he also appeared in Serie A and earned 51 caps for Senegal.

His return "breaks our budget," according to Cosentini, who was thanked by Kamara, who will take on a off-field role with the club after his final two seasons as a player.

"Between me and Catanzaro, there is a love story which can never end as far as I'm concerned," Kamara said. "When I heard of their interest and met the president, I couldn't refuse.

"I'm at home in Catanzaro. I'd like to thank the people of Catanzaro who have shown me so much love and passion. I want to tell them that I've come back here to win, and to get promoted to Serie B straight away.

"I've come to Catanzaro to stay here, in this city and with this club. It's a really big decision for me. I did not get a great deal out of French football, but Catanzaro gave me a lot. I want to end my career here and it fills me with pride to know that the Giallorosso shirt will be the last one I wear as a professional.

"It really is a dream for me to return to finish my career here where it all began."

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