by FSL News | 1 Jun, 2021 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Soccer team Profile
Incumbent Isha Johansen has dropped out of the Sierra Leone Football Association presidential race to more focus on her FIFA role, she wrote.
As a recently elected Fifa Council Member, I will be required to play a higher level and more active role as a Global Ambassador for Football and Fifa,” she noted in her statement.
“My new role will require extensive global travelling and consequently increased demands on my time. After much deliberation and soul searching, it’s with sadness that I have decided to announce the withdrawal of my candidacy for president in the upcoming SLFA elections.
I hereby offer the new SLFA executive and staff my best wishes for the future and assure my full support from within FIFA.
“I want to thank all of my supporters and well-wishers from across the country for their unwavering loyalty, integrity and for the years of dedication to our cause and vision in changing our narrative and raising the game of football in Sierra Leone. I remain your friend, mother, and sister in football.”
She pledged her continuous support for Sierra Leone’s football development through her new role at FIFA.
“Whilst I pride myself in the belief that I have played a significant role in restoring integrity, compliance and good governance in our nation’s football, my fervent prayer is that we do not lose what we fought so hard to build,” she continued.
“As long as we continue to respect the rules of compliance and good governance, I pledge to expend every effort to ensure the delivery of football development programmes and infrastructure in the deserved benefit of our children and our nation.”
As a result, Thomas Daddy Brima, Saddick Deen-Nyarkoh and provisional aspirant Rodney Michael contesting the June 4th and 5th elective congress in the Northern Province town Makeni.
Under her reign, accusations of corruption, controversy, infighting and power struggle all emerged.
Sierra Leone match-fixing allegation in 2014 brought so much divides in the football fraternity as many believed she deliberately destroyed all her direct rivals.
Prominent football philanthropist and seasoned administrator Rodney Michael were among those recently ‘CLEARED’ of the said match-fixing following a lengthy investigation.
The case was focused on the match-fixing allegation in 2014 when eleven officials and four players were suspended by Sierra Leone’s FA and Sports Ministry pending investigation.
Most notable, the match-fixing inquiry includes a World Cup qualifier between Sierra Leone and South Africa that ended goalless in Atteridgeville, South Africa, in June 2008.
Court Case against her
For almost two years, Johansen and secretary-general Chris Kamara faced corruption charges by Sierra Leone’s Anti Corruption Commission.
The embattled SLFA boss Johansen and sec-gen Chris Kamara have always denied any wrongdoing.
Johansen and Kamara were acquitted because of a lack of evidence.
FIFA cited government interference that led to Sierra Leone suspension from international soccer in October 2018, and the country was disqualified from the qualifying competition for the African Cup.
Meanwhile, the last SLFA elective congress was held almost eight years ago when incumbent Isha Johansen assumed office on August 3, 2013.
FIFA suspends Sierra Leone soccer Association
Fifa to lift Sierra Leone suspension after Johansen’s court victory
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by FSL News | 31 May, 2021 | Players Abroad News, Sport News
Neuchâtel Xamax Umaru Bangura and Austria-based midfielder George Davies has added to the list of injury worries for Coach John Keister ahead of Benin final qualifier.
The Sierra Leone skipper was substituted in their 1-1 draw against Grasshopper after he sustained tier in left muscles in the 30th minute on 14th May.
Bangura, 33, who is presently in Freetown, has confirmed the injury but maintained a 50/50 chance of playing against Benin.
SKN Polten midfielder George Davies has missed their last four games in the playoff rounds, in a similar situation.
Davies, 24, was subbed off in their 3-3 draw against Rheindorf Altach and since then has been on the side-line.
Meanwhile, China-based striker Mohamed Buya Turay and Örebro SK, left-back Kevin Wright all set to miss the all-important decider.
Henan Songshan Longmen striker Turay, 26, right leg in plaster, after metatarsal fracture, whilst impressive left-back Kevin Wright has been suffering from Achilles tendinitis since March.
Sierra Leone must win this rescheduled contest against Benin for a place in the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon 2022.
The Confederation of African Football is yet to confirm any venue for the expected June 14th African Cup of Nations final qualifier.
Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone, the writer @bittar32 Contact bi****@*********************ne.net.
by FSL News | 30 May, 2021 | Players Abroad News, Sport News
SKN St. Pölten have been relegated from the Austrian Bundesliga after losing 1-0 to SK Austria Klagenfurt at the NV Arena on Saturday in their final playoff match.
George Davies, who signed a contract extension with Pölten until the end of the 2022/2023 season, will play Hybet Liga next season.
In his post-match interview, Pölten manager Gerald Baumgartner said: “Today the boys can’t be blamed, maybe that we were too inefficient, and we had a lot under control on the field for over 90 minutes.
It was a very difficult starting position for us. We screwed it up on Wednesday at the first game. No change of coach helped to get on track. It has to be questioned. Everyone has to sweep their own door, and after a certain phase, draw new courage and make a fresh start.”
General Manager Andreas Blumauer, added “It’s a serious disappointment, just emptiness in the head. We worked for years to get up, then tried to build something up and definitely didn’t do everything right as we have to go back down now. ”
Sierra Leone international Davies, who had missed their last four games in the playoff rounds, will be playing in the Austrian second-tier next season if he stays at the club.
Spusu SKN St. Pölten – SK Austria Klagenfurt 0: 1 (0: 0)
NV Arena, 1,450 viewers, SR Lechner
Goal: 0: 1 Pink (86th).
Spusu SKN: Gremsl; Servania (52nd Blauensteiner), Muhamedbevgovic, Maranda, Schulz; Luxbacher (58th Asadi), Ljubicic, Schütz (52nd Tetteh); Booth (77th Halper), Hugi, Schmidt
Austria Klagenfurt: Menzel; Straudi, Gkezos, Mahrer, Moreira; Rusek, Cvetko; Timossi Andersson (60th Paul), Greil (72nd Hadzic), Miesenböck (58th Hütter, 72nd Servanja); Pink.
Red card: Ljubicic (88th, foul)
Yellow cards: Muhamedbegovic (6th, foul), Luxbacher (26th, foul), Schütz (41st, foul), Servania (48th, foul) or Miesenböck (35th, foul), Moreira (76th, foul)
Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone writer John Bangura in Freetown.
by FSL News | 29 May, 2021 | African News, Sport News
Benin Squirrels set for Zambia’s Chipolopos friendly on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at the Mathieu Kérékou Stadium in Cotonou.
Benin Football Federation has announced a friendly date with Zambia to be played at the Mathieu Kérékou Stadium Tuesday, June 8 in Cotonou.
Immediately after their preparation, they will be travelling to face Sierra Leone for their Group L decider.
The Confederation of African Football is yet to confirm any venue for the June 14 African Cup of Nations final qualifier.
A few days ago, head coach Michel Dussuyer announced a 23-man squad for the Sierra Leone decider in June, with midfielder Jodel Dossou, striker Steve Mourie, skipper Adenon Khaled and French club Dijon Saturnin Allagbe among those included.
Sierra Leone must win to reach the tournament for the first time in 25 years. Benin needed only a draw.
23 teams already qualified, and the winner between Sierra Leone and Benin will take the final spot to complete the 24 nations.
Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone writer John Bangura in Freetown.
Coach Dussuyer names Benin squad for Sierra Leone decider
by FSL News | 29 May, 2021 | African News, Sport News
Goals from Mohamed Sherif and Salah Mohsen in the second half were enough as Al Ahly of Egypt 2-0 triumph over Renaissance Berkane of Morocco in the CAF Super Cup earned them their 21st African title on Friday.
The annual contest between the CAF Champions League and second-tier CAF Confederation Cup winners was watched by a crowd limited to 7,000 in the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.
The Egyptians were dominant over their Total CAF Confederation Cup counterparts. The win means a second continental title for Al Ahly’s South African boss Pitso Mosimane since joining the Cairo giants in October last year.
The result confirmed the supremacy of Ahly among African clubs with nine victories in the Champions League, seven in the Super Cup, four in the African Cup Winners Cup and one in the Confederation Cup.
They have won 10 more titles than the next most successful clubs, fellow Egyptians Zamalek and TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ahly qualified for the Super Cup by defeating Zamalek in the 2020 Champions League final while Berkane secured their place with a victory over Pyramids of Egypt in the Confederation Cup decider.
Photo Phill Magakoe AFP! FSL African Football News – Connect with us @football_sierra, on Facebook/ Instagram Football Sierra Leone.
by FSL News | 28 May, 2021 | Players Abroad News, Sport News
- Idris Kanu reckons newly promoted Peterborough United is the best place for him.
- The Attacking midfielder is eligible to represent Sierra Leone through his parental lineage.
- He helped Peterborough win promotion out of League One at the end of the 2020–21 season.
The Posh promoted back to the Championship, finishing runners-up after an eight-year stay in League One.
Kanu, who can also play at wing-back, has been tremendous with the newly promoted Championship side.
Kanu, 21, joined the Posh in 2017. Over this time, he has had two loan spells at Port Vale and Boreham Wood.
“I signed a new deal last year until summer 2023. I am excited ahead of the new Championship season,” Kanu told FSL UK.
“With the promotion and the way the club is going, Peterborough is the right place for Championship football.”
“We should have been promoted, but due to Covid and point per the game scheme, we missed out of the playoff last season. So, we came into this campaign with fire in our bellies to get the job done.”
He made his English Football League debut for the club on 5 August 2017, coming on as a second-half substitute for Junior Morias in a 2–1 win over Plymouth Argyle at London Road.
Kanu scored his first goal for the “Posh” in a 2–0 win over Northampton Town in an EFL Trophy tie on 3 September 2019.
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Sierra Leone | Highlights -