Chris Kamara has been named on the New Year's Honours list after decades of work as a footballer, manager and pundit as well as his tireless anti-racism campaigning.
Born on Christmas Day in 1957 in Middlesborough, the 65-year-old played for a total of nine professional clubs in England in his two-decade long career. He also managed both Bradford City and Stoke in the 1990s before having a long and successful career as a pundit for Sky Sports.
He quickly became iconic in the role for his enthusiasm for football and he often left host Jeff Stelling and other guests in stitches with his gaffes from the live stadium link.
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“Unbelievable Jeff” became Kamara’s enduring catchphrase, and it felt like the end of an era when his departure from Sky after 24 years was confirmed at the end of last season.
Recently, he has also gone public with his diagnosis of apraxia of speech (AOS) and said he felt “a fraud” as a broadcaster having learned he had the speech condition earlier this year. He received an outpouring of support across social media after going public and a documentary called for Lost For Words about Kamara coming to terms with the condition, which was broadcast earlier this month. Kamara was also widely praised after an appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, with several pointing out the former pundit's speech on the programme and sending him kind words.
Kamara, who also presented Sky’s Goals On Sunday programme, is well known to non-football lovers as a co-presenter of ITV’s Ninja Warrior show. Throughout his football career, he played for Swindon, Brentford, Stoke, Leeds, Luton, Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Bradford.
He also led Bradford City to promotion into the Championship in 1996 before beginning his career as a pundit.
Chris Kamara has also frequently spoke out against racism and has previously talked about the racist abuse he received over the years. He spoke in 2020 about how a pub in Wetherby had refused to serve him due to the colour of his skin on his way back to Portsmouth after playing for Pompey in 1975.
Now he has been honoured with an MBE for his long years of services to football, anti-racism and charity.
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