by FSL News | 15 Feb, 2019 | Players Abroad News
Sierra Leone skipper Umaru Bangura played the whole 90 minutes as FC Zurich suffered a 3-1 home defeat at their Letzigrund Stadium in Switzerland.
Carlo Ancelotti saw his Napoli team take a huge step into the next stage of the competition beating FC Zurich in the round of 32 Europa League first leg played on Thursday.
Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon struck inside the opening 21 minutes at the Letzigrund Stadium.
Piotr Zielinski made it 3-0 with 13 minutes remaining before Benjamin Kololli’s late penalty provided some consolation for the Swiss-based club.
A tough test for the Swiss club in Italy, they were much better in the last ten minutes to suggest Ancelotti’s men might not have it all their own way.
The second-leg match is slated to be played at the Stadio San Paolo next Thursday.
Thursday’s Europa round of 32 first leg results.
Rapid Wien 0-1 Internazionale Milano
Slavia Praha 0-0 Genk
Krasnodar 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Rennes 3-3 Real Betis
Olympiacos 2-2 Dynamo Kyiv
Lazio 0-1 Sevilla
BATE Borisov 1-0 Arsenal
Galatasaray 1-2 Benfica
Viktoria Plzeň 2-1 Dinamo Zagreb
Club Brugge 2-1 Salzburg
Zürich 1-3 Napoli
Malmö 1-2 Chelsea
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
Celtic 0-2 Valencia
Sporting CP 0-1 Villarreal
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by FSL News | 13 Feb, 2019 | African News
Sierra Leone’s Isha Johansen has called on the Confederation of African Football, CAF to a sitting before it internal squabbling gets out of control.
The embattled SLFA boss, who is still under investigation on allegations of corruption-related charges, has written a letter to executive committee members requesting an urgent meeting.
Her letter emerged after two leaked letters from another exco member, Musa Bility, accused CAF president Ahmad Ahmad of violating the governing body’s statutes.
In her letter, also sent to Ahmad, Johansen wrote that the CAF leadership was “sitting on what I believe strongly has the potential of spiralling out of control.”
Football Sierra Leone understands that she also questioned the lack of response from the exco to the criticism of Ahmad, calling it a “deafening silence.”
“Am I the only one feeling that there is a storm behind this calm?”
A few days ago, former Liberia FA boss Musa Bility resigned from two senior CAF posts in protest over how Ahmad handles management of Africa’s ruling body, writing that CAF risked becoming the “subject of ridicule around the world.”
“I can no longer summon the courage to work in these posts at the whims and caprices of the president who I believe is leading this noble organisation in the wrong direction,” Bility said in his letter.
The outspoken Bility himself in the past faced with allegations of corruption having failed an integrity test during the 2016 FIFA presidential election won by Gianni Infantino.
On his attack on Ahmad’s leadership style, Bility claimed Ahmad told him: “I’m the president and I do as I want.”
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone facing a Fifa suspension until the alleged corruption trial against Isha Johansen and Chris Kamara concludes.
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by FSL News | 12 Feb, 2019 | African News
Guinean top-flight side Horoya beat Zimbabwean club Platinum 2-0 in their Caf Champions League Group B at Stade du 28 Septembre in Conakry on Tuesday.
As a result, Horoya have moved up to second place in the group B standings winning two draws one and a defeat of their four matches played.
Ocansey Mandela and Yakubu Hudu scored for the Guinean side who move two points clear of second-placed Orlando Pirates and a point behind defending champions Esperance de Tunis.
Horoya’s next CAF Champions League action is a trip to Rades to take on Esperance while Platinum travel to South Africa to face Orlando Pirates next month.
Elsewhere, South African side Mamelodi Sundowns played to a barren draw against ASEC Mimosas at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in a Caf Champions League Group A clash on Tuesday.
Both teams were unable to find any real rhythm on a bumpy pitch in Abidjan.
The result means, Sundowns having won two of their four group matches remain top of the table with seven points.
Sundowns next action will be against Nigerian side Lobi Stars, who stand bottom of the table in South Africa’s capital next month while ASEC host to Wydad on matchday five.
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by FSL News | 11 Feb, 2019 | Players Abroad News
FC Zurich will fancy their chances of progressing to the Europa League next stage by eliminating the second best team this season in Serie A Napoli.
With the capital club hosting their Italian counterpart in Thursday’s debut appearance in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 for the first time, a tough test emerge.
The first leg will be played at the Letzigrund Stadium on Thursday, 14 February 2019, with the second-leg match taking place at the Stadio San Paolo the following week.
However, Sierra Leone skipper Umaru Bangura, who has been pivotal in their quest this season faced a curious situation.
“I am confident, despite knowing is going to be a tough game against one of the competition favourites,” Bangura told Football Sierra Leone.
“We are playing at home and, nothing is impossible in football, we’re capable of beating any team because this is football.”
Bangura confirmed the matchday excitement, “The city is waiting Italy is closer to Switzerland, it feels like an International derby.”
When asked to relate previous group matches to this round of 32 contest, Bangura said, “All the matches are not the same but, we have to be at our best against a very good team. Every team at this stage are top sides.”
Bangura’s presence at the heart of the Swiss defence was good enough as they went through to the group phase of a European competition for the first time in 11 years.
They ended up as runners-up to Bayer Leverkusen in UEFA Europa League Group thanks to their victories in each of their opening three fixtures.
The Italian side hoping to make up for the disappointment of narrowly losing out in a tough UEFA Champions’ League group.
During this year’s Champions League campaign, SSC Naples amassed nine points in the group with Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Red Star Belgrade.
The Italian side was eliminated from the competition because they scored fewer goals.
It could be recalled that he was part of the Zürich side that won the Swiss Cup that warrants their return to Europe’s second-tier competition as we as helping the side promotion to Swiss Super League.
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by FSL News | 11 Feb, 2019 | Players Abroad News
Sierra Leone native Amadou Bakayoko makes his first home start of 2019 on Saturday to help Coventry City picked up their first win since New Year’s Day.
Jordy Hiwula scored the only goal of the game at Rochdale in the 68th minute after collecting a pass from Bakayoko before slotting in beyond new Dale goalkeeper Andy Lonergan.
After the break, Bakayoko was close to scoring when he met a Luke Thomas cutback.
The striker, who was returning from injury last started for City in the away trip to Walsall early December 2018.
The former Walsall man was one of five changes from the side that faced Gillingham last week at the Ricoh Arena coming on in the 60th minute in their 1-1 draw.
He joined the Sky Blues League One side Coventry City for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year deal in August 2018.
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