IRISH STRIKER ROY O’Donovan has revealed that a mix-up over a photograph left him searching for a new club.
O’Donovan is currently back in Ireland training with former club Cork City, as he aims to stay fit while deciding on where his career will take him next.
The striker, who has previously played for the likes of Sunderland and Hibernian, moved to Asia last year to join Brunei Premier League outfit DPMM FC, who are managed by former Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean.
O’Donovan enjoyed a good first season with the club and had a new contract to return for the 2015 campaign — until a picture of the 29-year-old with ex-Cork City team-mate George O’Callaghan appeared on the website of one of DPMM’s rivals.
O’Callaghan had been appointed general manager at Sabah in Malaysia and O’Donovan decided to pay his fellow Leesider a visit, as he explained to Herald.ie.
“What happened was that when I was out there one of the club’s drivers took a photo of me with George, someone put it up on their website that I had signed for them, and that was it for me, even though I hadn’t signed at all,” said O’Donovan.
“The crown prince of Brunei, who runs the club, had his nose out of joint and the contract offer was withdrawn. Since then George has been sacked by the club in Malaysia so it was clearly the right thing to do, not to go there in the first place.”
“There was nothing untoward about what I did, but because of the rivalry between the two clubs it was taken badly when the photo appeared of me on their website saying I was their new signing.”
O’Donovan has ruled out a return to Cork City and is currently weighing up offers from the US, Australia and India.
