By Andrew Warshaw
December 11 – Zahir Belounis, the footballer whose story of being “trapped” in Qatar against his will made him an international cause celebre, was in London today for preliminary talks with unidentified clubs over possibly extending his career in the English league.
Belounis, who played for a number of lower-league French and Swiss clubs before moving to Qatar in 2007, is understood to have attracted the attention of a number of English teams eager to hire him, partly for symbolic reasons, after his much-publicised ordeal in the Gulf.
In a telephone call to Insideworldootball, the French-Algerian, whose story has been picked up across the world, confirmed that he had been approached but declined to name the clubs involved and said it was unlikely he would sign any new deal for at least two to three weeks.
“For the moment I can’t say too much but two or three clubs have shown interest,” Belounis said. “I have to be discreet in order not to jeopardise my chances. Nothing may come of it but if it does happen, whether in England or maybe in France, I’ll have to train very hard.”
Belounis, who only recently returned to France after finally receiving an exit visa from his Qatari employers, revealed at a press conference in Paris last week that he planned to continue his legal action over claims he had been unpaid for 18 months.
He says he is no longer willing to discuss his treatment in Qatar, where he lived with his wife and two daughters both of whom were born there – preferring to look to the future, even though he has no idea what that will be.
“I’m still not feeling too good, to be honest,” said Belounis who revealed he is still on anti-depressants. “My fight was very hard and I’m having to rebuild everything. I’m not even sure I’ll play football again. The most important thing is my family. I’m not a celebrity, I just want to have a normal life.”
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