Chris Kamara was left close to tears after football fans gave him a standing ovation during a return to one of his former clubs over the weekend.
The Middlesbrough-born ex-footballer, manager, and football analyst turned broadcaster was given a hero’s welcome when he returned to Leeds United’s ground Elland Road for a Premier League clash between the West Yorkshire side and Brentford yesterday afternoon.
The 65-year-old, who is affectionately known as ‘Kammy’, said his “boyhood dreams came true” during an emotional speech at the side of the pitch.
Kamara notably played for both London club Brentford from 1981-1985, and West Yorkshire side Leeds United from 1990-1991, where he collectively made hundreds of appearances as a tough-tackling midfielder for both teams during his career.
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Following his stint as a professional footballer, he has since amassed a huge following of fans from his time as a match correspondant and pundit over the past two decades.
And all of these fans came together to show their support to the broadcasting legend before the match.
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Kamara – who was given an MBE for his services to football, anti-racism and charity in the latest New Year Honours List – revealed that he is suffering from speech apraxia in March 2022, and announced at the end of last season that he was leaving Sky after the disorder has sadly left him with limited and difficult speech ability.
Chris Kamara receives standing ovation from supportive fans after emotional speech / Credit: Sky Sports
Since bravely speaking about his diagnosis, Kamara went on to receive an outpouring of support from key figures and fans in the footballing world.
After receiving a warm welcome and a standing ovation from both sets of supporters inside Elland Road on Sunday, a thankful Kamara addressed the crowd saying: “Unbelievable! When I played in this stadium for Leeds United it made my boyhood dreams come true, who would’ve thought 33 years later you would give me a reception like this?
He also addressed the away fans inside the stadium, and reminisced on the “great” spell he had at the club, before closing out his speech thanking everyone to even more rapturous applause.
“Thank you everybody,” he concluded with a wave.
Featured Image – Leeds United
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Channel 4 is looking for Mancs who think they can survive the apocalypse for a new TV series
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Have you always wanted to see how long you’d last in an apocalypse?
Well now’s your chance, as Apocalypse is potentially coming back to Channel 4 for a second series, with producers having put out a nationwide casting call for contestants willing to take part.
The casting call simply reads: “Do you think you have what it takes to survive the end of the world?”
Described as a dystopian series designed to test the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our nation, Apocalypse sees players are pushed out of their comfort zones and put to the ultimate test.
In the series, ordinary people are tasked with surviving for 28 days in an abandoned city – used previously only for the military to practice urban warfare – with no food, running water, electricity or heat.
Produced by The Garden – which is part of ITV Studios – for Channel 4, the show’s creators are now calling on Mancs and people up and down the country with the ‘courage and ingenuity’ to compete, to get in touch and apply for the potential second series.
Does your mate always bang on after watching a post-apocalyptic film that they would’ve done things differently? Or is the news at the moment freaking you out and you want to give the end of the world a bit of a practice run? Either way, sign up, test that plan you’ve built in your head, and see if you’ve really got what it takes.
Applications are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed. Come on, let’s prove what Mancs are made of.
Hundreds of katsu curries are being given out for FREE in Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of katsu curries are being dished up and given out for free in Manchester this week, but only for certain people.
And those lucky people will be students.
That’s right… a new semester is upon us, and thousands of freshers and returning students are descending on the city and Manchester‘s many universities for another year. But the life of a student isn’t exactly the cheapest sometimes, especially for those who haven’t had to live on a budget before moving out or into halls.
But to make things a little easier, Tampopo has announced it’ll be serving hundreds of one of its most popular dishes for free this week.
Tampopo is celebrating National Katsu Curry Day in the most delicious way possible, by giving away 700 Katsu Curries with rice for free, exclusively to freshers and students this Sunday (27 September).
Whether you’re brand new to the city, settling back into uni life, or you’re simply in need of a katsu fix, students can head to their nearest participating Tampopo and tuck into a hearty meal without needing to spend a penny.
100 katsu curries will be available each from 12-2pm at both Tampopo restaurants in Manchester city centre – which are on Albert Square, and in the Corn Exchange – or if you head over to the Trafford Centre, both the Tampopo there and the East Street sites are taking part.
“[Our] Katsu Curry has long been one of our most-loved dishes, so National Katsu Curry Day felt like the perfect excuse to give students a proper welcome to the new academic year,” Tampopo said in a statement.
So, are you feeling hungry then? The offer is exclusively available for takeaway only to freshers and students with a valid student ID, which they must present on collection.
100 portions are available at each participating location, and just one free katsu curry with rice will be available per person.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd January 2023 
