FOR a non-league footballer struggling to make ends meet in 1975, a trial in oil-rich Saudi Arabia was a golden chance to secure a slice of the high life.
So when club owner Prince Abdullah bin Nasser wound down the window of his shiny blue Buick to decide whether to make Eamonn O’Keefe his first European signing, the attacking midfielder turned on the style.
As the first cross came in, he sent the ball rocketing into the net with his head — then repeated the feat five minutes later.
It was enough for the prince, a member of the country’s mega-rich ruling family, to tell 22-year-old former Manchester United prospect Eamonn to “go to the hotel and write down your needs”.
As well as trebling his wages, Abdullah presented him with a sporty silver Pontiac Ventura car, a new apartment with swimming pool and private schooling for his two children.
Eamonn, who would go on to play three seasons in England’s top flight with Everton, could not believe his luck.
At the time he was playing semi-professionally for Hyde Utd, near Manchester, and working as a driver at a local newspaper.
But his luck would soon run out — and Eamonn would find himself running for his life.
To begin with, however, life could not get much better as Eamonn settled into club football at Al-Hilal in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
With his wife and two kids yet to join him from their home in Oldham, Eamonn became close friends with Prince Abdullah.
They watched matches together on big-screen TVs and ate at the country’s top restaurants.
Abdullah even invited Eamonn to join him on a holiday tour of Europe.
If that was his orientation then fine, but I was married and had kids and wasn’t interested.
Eamonn O’Keefe
But one sweltering night at The Grand Hotel in Cannes, in the South of France, the prince revealed exactly why he had been so generous to the young blond.
After a night at the casino, he sidled up to Eamonn in a lift and told him: “I’ve been meaning to tell you something. I am finding that I love you.”
Eamonn replied: “You mean, like a brother?”
The prince, pushing closer, answered: “No. Not like a brother.”
Eamonn explained he was not gay — and the prince seemed to accept the rejection.
But the next day the atmosphere turned “icy” and Eamonn was sent straight back to Riyadh.
Now 65, Eamonn recounts this tale in his autobiography I Only Wanted To Play Football.
Speaking to The Sun, he said: “I got on well with the Prince. I haven’t got a bad word against anyone. If that was his orientation then fine, but I was married and had kids and wasn’t interested.”
Up until then Eamonn thought they had got on so well because he treated the prince just like any other normal person, without bowing down to him.
DEADLY PROPOSAL
He said: “I was just something different, I spoke to him like I would anyone else. I wasn’t going round bringing him tea on a plate like everyone else.”
But it was clear Prince Abdullah did not live like everyone else.
Eamonn said: “He had four or five brothers. I remember there was a big row because the youngest one, when his Rolls-Royce arrived, it was slightly different to his brothers’ and he went ballistic.
“He wouldn’t even look at it. Back it went.”
Having initially thought he could just return to playing for Al-Hilal following the prince’s romantic proposal, his mind was quickly changed by two expats living in the oppressive kingdom.
In Saudi Arabia homosexuality is punishable by death, and Eamonn knew a secret that put the prince’s standing at risk.
Al-Hilal manager George Smith had brought Eamonn to the club having known him from their days together at non-league Stalybridge Celtic, Gtr Manchester.
‘PEOPLE KNOWN TO GO MISSING IN DESERT’
He now warned his friend that his life was in danger. Eamonn said: “I was happy to leave what had happened like that, but George didn’t think the prince would.
“I loved it over there, the players were great with me, they were tremendous. I was happy as Larry.
“I was thinking, ‘How good can it get?’ — and then the rug was pulled from underneath me.”
Another English friend In Saudi explained the prince could make life hard for him and would “squeeze me down”.
In Saudi Arabia there are few formal laws and it is not advisable for regular citizens to challenge royalty in the courts.
So Eamonn realised he had no choice but to leave.
Cavendish Press
Cavendish Press
He said: “You can’t take a chance. People have been known to go missing in the desert. You can’t risk it.
“It would have been my word against that of the prince, so I had no chance.” But there was still a stumbling block — Eamonn had to get the prince’s permission for a visa to return home.
George advised Eamonn not to tell Al-Hilal he was leaving the club and to only take enough luggage with him so that it would look like a short trip was planned.
First Eamonn told his then-wife not to fly out to join him. He explained: “I had to stop my children and wife going out. I was worried my kid might not come back from school one day if I refused to play for them.”
They were also his excuse for having to go home.
He told the prince his kids would not get on a plane to Riyadh without him so he had to go collect them.
Abdullah was suspicious, telling Eamonn he had to sign something in Arabic guaranteeing he would return. Keeping his cool, Eamonn called his bluff, saying, “I have to trust this contract in Arabic, but you don’t trust me back? OK, not a problem”. And he lifted the pen as if to sign.
In what appears to be a momentary pang of conscience, the prince ripped up the paper and told Eamonn he could fly home.
‘NO WAY IN WORLD I’M GOING BACK’
Even when he had passed customs and the plane had taken off, Eamonn continued to sweat, fearing it could be turned back by the powerful royal at any time.
It was only when the jet’s wheels touched down on British tarmac that he punched the seat in front with relief.
But his troubles were not yet over. As Eamonn was still on the books of Al-Hilal, the English Football Association blocked his attempts to register with them. He recalled: “When Al-Hilal said I couldn’t leave without a reason, the FA weren’t very helpful.
“They were saying I had to go back to fulfil my contract, but there was no way in the world I was going back.”
The Saudi club insisted Eamonn pay them the equivalent of almost £10,000 in today’s money to get out of his contract.
Fortunately, Jimmy Hill, the former chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association, had just signed a big-money deal to help transform the Saudi game.
During a phone call with Jimmy, Eamonn threatened to go to FIFA — football’s international ruling body — which could have meant the truth about why he quit being aired publicly.
Suddenly, Al-Hilal changed their minds and freed Eamonn from his contract. But unable to access his Saudi bank account, Eamonn lost all his wages and was forced to sell his Oldham home and return to work as a van driver for the local paper.
Thankfully, the on-field talent which had caught the eye of Al-Hilal was again spotted in 1979 and he joined Everton in the top tier of the English game.
Eamonn, who also went on to win five caps for the Republic of Ireland, including one at Wembley against England, now believes being forced to flee Saudi Arabia was a blessing in disguise.
He said: “I came back and played part-time and it all took off again. I just got on with it.
“If I had stayed in Saudi, I would probably never have played for Everton and Ireland.”
- Eamonn’s autobiography, I Only Wanted To Play Football, is available on Amazon.
Cavendish Press
Cavendish Press
Cavendish Press
