by FSL News | 26 Jul, 2019 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone
Abu Bakarr Kabba, a former Sierra Leone Football Association, (SLFA) official, has been sanctioned by football world’s governing body, Fifa.
Kabba will face a five-year banned and a fined US$50,000 for violating Fifa’s Code of Ethics.
The adjudicatory chamber of the Independent Ethics Committee of FIFA has found him “guilty of having accepted and received bribes concerning the manipulation of international matches.”
Kabba was part of Fifa’s investigation “into various international matches (attempted to be) manipulated for betting purposes by Mr Wilson Raj Perumal.”
Several African referees and others linked to football on the continent have been punished for their links to convicted match-fixer Perumal.
Kabba, who was an administrative secretary and an acting general secretary in the SLFA, was one of 15 players and officials originally suspended in 2014 during a match-fixing investigation.
Read the full Fifa’s statement.
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by FSL News | 26 Jul, 2019 | Players Abroad News
- Midfielder Suleiman Samura has signed his first Pro-contract
USL Championship side, Fresno Football Club, have confirmed signing midfielder Suleiman Samura on a pro-contract for the remainder of the 2019 USL Championship season, pending league and federation approval.
Samura, 22, becomes the club’s fourth signing from the 2018 Fresno FC U-23s side to join the Foxes’ pro roster. Samura will wear the No. 16.
“Sully is another player from our U-23s that I liked and kept my eye on. He’s very hardworking, physical and able to cove a lot of ground in that middle area,” Smith told the club’s website.
He added, “I’ve been very happy with him, seeing growth and maturity and confidence. The next test is if he can earn his stripes and get minutes.”
He has had a spell with Laredo Heat SC of the National Premier Soccer League, making seven starts. In 2018.
He made three appearances with the Fresno FC U-23s and scored a goal in the club’s 3-1 win over Southern California Seahorses before he was sent on trial with the pro side at the end of the 2018 USL League Two season.
He featured in the club’s exhibition against the Vancouver Whitecaps reserves. With Laredo, Samura made seven starts during the 2019 NPSL season.
Name: Suleiman Samura
Position: Midfielder
Birthdate: 6/26/1997
Country: Sierra Leone
Height: 5-5 – Weight: 135
How Acquired: Free Agent
Last club: Laredo Heat SC (NPSL)/Fresno FC U-23s
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by FSL News | 25 Jul, 2019 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone
- Sierra Leone’s Leone Stars have moved one place up to 114th from 115th in the latest FIFA ranking announced on Thursday 25th July.
Sierra Leone last played a competitive match against Ethiopia when they suffered a 1-0 defeat lat September 2018 during the 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifiers before the country was suspended by Fifa.
The West African nation must win against Lesotho, in the opener of the 2021 Afcon qualifier scheduled for November 11 at the Freetown national stadium, if they are to improve their global ranking.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone’s Group L opponents Nigeria ranked as the 33rd best in the world while Benin after their impressive performances in the just-concluded Afcon ranked 82nd globally and Lesotho 144.
The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 19 September 2019.
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by FSL News | 25 Jul, 2019 | African News
- Sierra Leone to open Afcon 2021 campaign at home
- The Leone Stars will face Lesotho Crocodiles for the first time
- Leone Stars last home match was a 2-1 win over Kenya in 2017
Sierra Leone play their first competitive home international match in over two years when the Leone Stars open there Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Crocodiles of Lesotho November 11th in Freetown.
The fixture will be the opening Group L qualifying match of both sides’ in the race for the 2021 AFCON which will be staged in Cameroon.
The two sides have never previously met at any international level, but one thing they do have in common is the colours of their national flags are the same.
Sierra Leone will be hoping to make use of home advantage and open their campaign with a victory at home replicating their 2019 opener against Kenya on June 2017.
Their opponent Lesotho has never qualified for the final stages of the Afcon.
Sierra Leone, on the other hand, participated in the continental big stage 23 years ago during the 1996 Afcon in South Africa.
The country’s soccer team in Dec 2018, were disqualified from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign because of alleged government interference in running the country’s football association.
Leone Stars lost to Ethiopia in their last Afcon 2019 qualifier before the suspension.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone second contest in the qualifiers will be away in Benin against The Squirrels eight days after their opener.
During the just-concluded Afcon in Egypt, The Squirrels of Benin were superb unbeaten in their group along Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Cameroon.
They dismissed one of the tournaments big guns Morocco in the round of 16 4-1 on penalties before losing to Senegal in the Quarter-final.
Group L: Nigeria, Benin Sierra Leone Lesotho
Match Day 1 & 2 fixtures
Match Day 1: November 11, 2019
Nigeria vs. Benin
Sierra Leone vs. Lesotho
Match Day 2: November 19, 2019
Lesotho vs. Nigeria
Benin vs. Sierra Leone
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by FSL News | 24 Jul, 2019 | African News
- Musa Bility banned for 10 years and fined 500,000 Swiss francs ($507,200).
Musa Bility, a senior African football official, has been banned for 10 years by Fifa over financial wrongdoing, including taking funds from a campaign tackling Ebola.
FIFA has said its ethics judges banned Musa Bility, a member of the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee, for 10 years and fined him 500,000 Swiss francs ($507,200).
In 2015, Bility was blocked as a FIFA presidential candidate after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ruling that he failed an integrity check.
The Liberian businessman’s ban was announced days after he said he would appeal to CAS against a FIFA-backed plan to send its top administrator from Zurich to oversee the troubled African soccer body.
FIFA says its investigation against Bility was opened last May after a forensic audit of Liberian soccer federation (LFA) accounts.
FIFA found “various payments made by the LFA to (and received from) entities owned by or connected to Mr Bility and his family.”
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by FSL News | 24 Jul, 2019 | African News
Egyptian winger, Mahmoud Hassan, commonly known as Trezeguet, has completed his move to English Premiership side Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.
Trezeguet, 24, who made four appearances and scored one goal at this summer’s Africa Cup of Nations, is Villa’s ninth summer signing.
The Egypt international winger signed from club Kasimpasa.
He started his career with Egyptian side Al Ahly before moving to Anderlecht in 2015, joining Kasimpasa two years later.
“We’re excited to work with ‘Trez’,” said Villa boss Dean Smith.
“I’ve watched him several times. He’s the type of wide player that we have been looking for who is direct, causes problems for the opposition in the final third and scores goals.”
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Sierra Leone | Highlights -