THE saga of footballer Mohamadou Sumareh, who disappeared from Pahang's training a month ago, has taken another twist.
In fact, it goes unexpectedly further — outside Malaysia.
And Covid-19 is no hindrance amid these troubled times.
Following the storm in Kuantan which may lead to Sumareh facing disciplinary for going AWOL, it now appears that he has been swept away by a Thai-poon.
The latest development is that the 26-year-old will reappear in Thailand soon, and playing in its league.
So, the national winger is not going to set foot on the M-League from now but on Thai soil.
So far, Sumareh has not given his reasons for running away from the Pahang team, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and angry officials.
The Thai media has also reported about Sumareh joining a local team when the Thai League resumes later this month following the Covid-19 interruption.
Sumareh won't be lonely in Bangkok. Police Tero FC, the Thai League 1 team that he will join, have Dominic Tan, who is his national teammate.
When asked to confirm the reports on social media, Sumareh said yesterday: "Yes, that's true. I will be based in Bangkok."
Sumareh did not go into details about his Thai move except for saying he will be moving to Bangkok soon.
When asked about his troubles with Pahang FA (PFA), he declined to comment on the issue.
Pahang team manager Datuk Suffian Awang has called Sumareh "ungentlemanly" and "unprofessional" and he has also come under fire from netizens over the recent events.
The Gambia-born Sumareh said he has much respect for Pahang, who had helped him obtain his Malaysian citizenship in 2018 and became the nation's first non-heritage naturalised footballer.
"For now, I will not say anything but the time will come," he said.
Sumareh helped Malaysia finish second in the 2018 AFF Cup.
In the World Cup qualifiers last year, he scored once in Malaysia's 5-1 over Timor Leste and a brace in the 3-2 win over Indonesia while contributing a goal in the 2-1 win over Thailand.
And the new script will see Sumareh playing for a foreign club but represent Malaysia in the World Cup qualifiers. Football can be a strange game.