Sporting KC sells Kei Kamara to Middlesbrough FC; new team announces it with a picture of Teal Bunbury
It’s a bittersweet day for Sporting Kansas City fans. The club announced Sunday afternoon that it has transferred fan favorite and inventor of the “heart-shaped hands” goal celebration to Middlesbrough FC of the British second division. Kamara is in his fifth season with Kansas City. During his eight years with MLS clubs, Kamara scored 53 goals in 200 games including playoff games.
Middlesbrough, or “Boro” to its fans, is currently in 15th place in the Football League Championship, with a record of 1-1-3. The terms of the transfer weren’t disclosed. The British club excitedly announced Kamara’s arrival and two-year deal to fans on its website yesterday. Unfortunately, the club’s PR staff didn’t spend long enough looking at archival photos of Kamara while they were writing the announcement. They published three photos, and the first two, including a shot of Kamara in his new team’s jersey, were of the right guy. The third one, though, was fellow Sporting Kansas City forward Teal Bunbury. After several hours, the club dug up another shot of Kamara and replaced the photo. It’s an auspicious start to Kamara’s tenure at Boro. But if he lights up the second division, fans will surely forget the gaffe.
