'Saw flames from bombs flying' - Michail Antonio reveals 'terrifying' reality of Iran war after completing Qatar switch

The veteran forward described the harrowing scenes he witnessed from his hotel window as the conflict intensified. "The day I was meant to make my debut, that was a frightening day, hearing bombs and the hotel was shaking, that was terrifying," Antonio told talkSPORT. "I looked out the window and saw flames from the bombs flying, that was the only day that was scary for me."

Despite the initial shock, Antonio eventually made his Al Sailiya debut last week, playing just over 70 minutes in a 4-0 defeat to Al Duhail. However, the reality of the security situation struck again during a recent fixture against Al Shahaniya. The match was paused for 19 minutes, with players taken off the pitch following warning sirens across Doha.

It was one of three Qatar Stars League matches halted that evening after a National Emergency Alert was issued at 9.51pm local time. Antonio has since expressed a greater sense of security now that the immediate threat has been addressed, stating: "I've not had the experience of anything crazy going on here, so that's the reason I do feel quite safe here... it reassures me that I'm OK here and I'm safe here."

Antonio also opened up on his departure from West Ham, where he left as the club's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer with 83 goals in 323 appearances. He claimed Graham Potter, who took charge of the Hammers shortly after Antonio's near-fatal car crash in December 2024, was keen to move him on as part of a squad overhaul.

"I felt like it was mainly pushed by Graham Potter. I feel like he was just trying to get rid of the old regime... he got rid of a lot of the senior players like me, Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Edson Alvarez, players who had more control of the changing rooms," Antonio said. Potter was subsequently sacked by the London club in September of the following year.

Before his Middle Eastern move, Antonio faced a difficult period attempting to find a new team in England. He admitted he had to "swallow his ego" during trials after potential moves to Brentford and Leicester fell through due to fitness worries. "I've still got the qualities I had in the Premier League for the past 10 years," Antonio told BBC Sport. "It shows, because every single manager was putting a contract in front of me once I trained with them."

The Jamaican international eventually settled on the short-term deal in Qatar after being persuaded by international teammate Mason Holgate. Reflecting on the saga of his free agency, he added: "My agent said, 'you're going to have to train, prove your fitness'. I had to swallow my ego - that's how I ended up at Brentford. I trained with them for two weeks." Antonio ultimately found his way to Al Sailiya, where he continues his career away from the English spotlight.