Chris Kamara has hinted at his disappointment after only five people turned up to a planned Soccer Saturday reunion dinner.
During his 24 years on the programme until he left in 2022, Kamara became one of the most beloved faces on Sky Sports, working alongside the likes of Jeff Stelling, Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas, Paul Merson, Tony Cottee and Alan McInally as they delivered goals, drama and laughter to millions of viewers on Saturday afternoons.
But many of those familiar faces were missing at this week’s reunion.
Among those who did attend were Stelling, who fronted Soccer Saturday for a quarter of a century before leaving Sky at the end of the 2022-23 season, Bianca Westwood, who departed in 2023, and Nicholas, affectionately known as ‘Champagne Charlie’, who was let go in 2020 during Sky’s revamp of their football coverage. Long-serving producer Alan Condo also attended.
Sharing a photo from the dinner, Kamara wrote: ‘Soccer Saturday reunion dinner. Only 5 turned up but still a fabulous night. – Condo (producer) – Champagne Charlie – Bianca and of course the Unbelievable Jeff Stelling.’
His message suggested he had hoped for a bigger turnout, although he remained upbeat about the evening.
Those missing from the dinner included Le Tissier, Thompson, Cottee, McInally and Merson, all of whom have previously joined Kamara and Stelling at other reunions since leaving Sky.
While there is no indication of any ill feeling, the low turnout was a reminder of how much has changed since Soccer Saturday’s heyday, when the panel exchanged banter, punctuated by goal updates and regular gaffes.
Le Tissier, who was among those missing from the dinner, was let go by Sky in August 2020 alongside fellow Soccer Saturday panellists Charlie Nicholas and Phil Thompson as part of a shake-up of the broadcaster’s football coverage.
The Southampton legend later claimed his dismissal was linked to his controversial opinions, including his refusal to wear a Black Lives Matter badge and his posts on social media questioning Covid-19 restrictions and vaccine campaigns.
Kamara, 67, stepped down from the show in 2022 after being diagnosed with speech apraxia but has since appeared on Amazon Prime’s Premier League coverage among other media roles.
Earlier this month, he told Mail Sport: ‘There is no downside to being me at the moment, everybody is so nice. It makes me feel humble, and I’m always surprised at how lovely people are towards me.
‘My speech has improved, and I’m enjoying life and what is remaining of it.’
Stelling and Westwood now work for talkSPORT.
