By Sulayman Bah
Denied doing what he does best, Alagie Sosseh has resurfaced
rekindling his career.
The 27-year-old capped at international level with Gambia thrice was left to wonder in the wilderness after Norway’s Football Association ruled him ineligible to play football in the Scandinavian country even after signing a contract.
The Norwegian FA based its argument on a controversial clause made active for the first time since its enactment by barring Sosseh, a Gambian, from playing football on a fickle basis that he’d been contracted by three different clubs –two in Norway, one in Sweden – in a single season.
The entire story line is one of a peculiar nature. It occurred that Sosseh was released by third tier Swedish outfit AFC United after the club –initially buoyed by his acquisition –declared they could no longer meet the player’s ’lucrative’ wage demands in the middle of the season.
The incident reeled in after the Swedish transfer window had closed making any further move to a competitive league within Sweden out of the equation and impossible.
But determined to secure employment, Alagie was forced to cross the border to neighbouring Norway where he found solace with Bierkeriem in the third division who signed him for three months.
The reason behind the move was to keep his fitness level until the transfer window opens when he would secure a trial and possibly get signed to a bigger club.
That chance came by with Fredrikstad from the second tier –keen to bolster their front line – handing a test – an audition he passed and later signed a contract.
The club had done that in the belief that Sosseh is unattached and is a free agent and acted swiftly by applying for work permit on behalf of the forward to the Norwegian FA.
However, to Sosseh and Fredrikstad dismay, the Norwegian FA turned down the permit request insisting Sosseh has featured in three different clubs in under a single season – a move that caused stir prompting strong condemnations from the Norway Players’ Association slamming the rule outdated.
The FA president even at one time conceded the unpopular law denies footballers employment but maintained he’s helpless. As if that wasn’t enough blow, Alagie was to take in another disappointment when Fredrikstad terminated his contract without pay.
Having grown flummoxed, the frustrated erstwhile Sirius captain returned to Sweden to play with a club in the fifth division –like previously – to rake in the minutes ahead of a return and a potential transfer at the end of the season.
And in June he returned to Norway to broker an agreement with Abdou Darboe’s former club Mjondalen in the second tier.
Thus, as way of repaying the club faith in him, the defender-turned attacker nabbed in three goals in as twenty-one games and nailing a spot in the starting line-up as Mjondalen makes an attempt to secure promotion to the Norwegian Premier League where Tijan Jaiteh currently plies his trade.
Sosseh and co sit within the promotion play-off places but will require upping their tempo to grab automatic promotion which could be daunting but achievable to avoid getting their spirit dashed in the final hour in the hussle and bustle akin with promotion play-offs.
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