by FSL News | 14 Jul, 2018 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone to compete with eight others for a spot in the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by Tanzania.
The West African Football Union, (WAFU) Zone A U17 Afcon qualifiers scheduled from the 9 to 18 September in Senegal.
Each of the six Zonal Unions (CECAFA, COSAFA, UNAF, UNIFFAC, WAFU A, and WAFU B) will organise their own qualifiers.
Each zonal winner will qualify for the final tournament, with the exemption of zone A of the previous winner, with two slots. Since Mali won the title in 2017.
The African football body, CAF says the new format is expected to increase participation at the level of teams in the qualifiers, enhanced exposure and competitiveness by getting all involved. Since 1995, an average of 30 teams engaged in the qualifiers, representing about 54 per cent of the CAF membership.
The decision, one of the key elements among the resolutions of the first ever CAF African Football Symposium in July 2017 in Rabat (Morocco), was approved by the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations will hold from the 12th to the 26th of May 2019. Mali are the defending champions of the tournament.
Meanwhile, selected players from each country for the tournament must undergo mandatory Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to determine their eligibility to participate.
The Dates and Hosts of the Zonal Qualifiers U17 AFCON, TANZANIA 2019
WAFU A: Host country: Senegal
Participating teams: (9): Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone
Date: 9 to 18 September 2018
WAFU B: Host country: Niger
Participating teams (7): Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Benin
Date: 2 to 15 September 2018
COSAFA:
Host Country: Mauritius
Participating teams (12): Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Date: 19 to 29 July 2018
UNIFFAC:
Host Country: Equatorial Guinea
Participating teams (8): Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, Guinea Equatorial, Gabon, RD Congo, Sao Tome, and Chad.
Date: 3 to 12 August 2018
CECAFA:
Host country: Tanzania
Participating teams (10): Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti
Date: 11 to 26 August 2018.
UNAF:
Host Country: Tunisia
Participating teams (4): Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya
Date: 20 to 28 August 2018
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by FSL News | 13 Jul, 2018 | Players Abroad News
Three goals within eight minutes gave Häcken a dream start away from home against Liepāja in the first qualifying round tie in Latvia.
The victory means that Alhassan Crespo Kamara side in pole position to reach the next stage of the competition with an excellent starting position for the return match at Bravida Arena next Thursday.
Goals from Daleho Irandust 74′, Brazilian Paulinho Guerreiro 77′ and Swedish attacker Mervan Çelik in the 82′ minutes were enough as the visitors outshined their host on Thursday night Europa League qualifier.
It was a great 3-0 victory for the Swedish side in a rainy Latvia. They now one step away to face last season’s sixth-best team in Germany RB Leipzig in the next phase.
The German side will host the aggregate winner in the first leg of the second qualifying round on July 26 and the second leg slated for 2 August.
The Sierra Leone striker, who started on the Häcken’s bench was later introduced replacing Paulinho in the 84th minute. Kamara (in) – Paulinho (out) (Häcken).
This year’s Europa league competition is the club’s fifth for the past eleven years. Results ? http://bit.ly/2Jiz4q2
Mervan Çelik who registered the third for Häcken after the match stated, – I want to show that I want to start each match. I think I showed it properly today. But the best thing was that we won 3-0, even though it was crazy to score,” said 20-year-old.
Elsewhere, Hassan Milla Sesay’s FC Lahti defeated at home 0-3 to Icelandic side FH Hafnarfjördur, while George Davies’ Latvian side FC Riga suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Bulgarian top-tier side CSKA Sofia at the Bulgarska Armia Stadium.
A tough task awaits Sesay’s Lathi away from home following a three-nil defeat in front of their home fans.
Davies’ Riga can still qualify if they can overturn a goal deficit in Latvia next Thursday, July 19 2018.
Should Davies side progress they will face Austrian Bundesliga outfit Admira Wacker Mödling in the next round.
The 2018/19 UEFA Europa League final will be staged at the Baku stadium in the Azerbaijani capital on Wednesday 29 May 2019.
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by FSL News | 12 Jul, 2018 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone
The Sierra Leone Football Association, (SLFA) has confirmed a friendly date with the Lone Star of Liberia.
The anticipated friendly is scheduled for Sunday the 22nd July 2018 in Monrovia.
The SLFA says a 25-man delegation will be travelling to Liberia to honour the invitation from their counterpart over the weekend.
Football Sierra Leone on June 20th reported that the Liberian FA in a communique invited Sierra Leone to play in a friendly with the Lone Star of Liberia as part of Liberia’s 171st Independence Day Celebration.
Read More – Sierra Leone to clash with LIB on Independence Day showdown
“A 25 man delegation is expected to travel to Liberia over the weekend to honour the said friendly tie,” a statement from SLFA read.
Liberia v Sierra Leone last encounter was on 05 June 2017 at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium which was won by Liberia 1-0.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone will take on Walia Ibex in Ethiopia in September in Group F CAF Afcon qualifiers for a place in Cameroon 2019.
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by FSL News | 10 Jul, 2018 | African News
The Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) has shortlisted five local coaches for the vacant national team job.
The Walia Ibex will host Sierra Leone in one of Group F’s second qualifying matches in September.
The Waliyas, who lost their opening tie 5-0 to Ghana in the race to Cameroon next year have been without a head coach following Ashenafi Bekele’s resigned from his post in December 2017.
The Federation has intensified its effort to bring in a new coach ahead of the 2019 Total African Cup of Nations qualifying home tie against Sierra Leone in Addis Ababa in September.
The EFF has shortlisted Gebremedhin Haile, Webetu Abate, Tsegaye Kidanemariam, Seyoum Kebede and Yemen national team coach Abraham Mebratu, who is also Ethiopian.
The Technical Committee of EFF is expected to screen the listed coaches and present its final decision to the Executive Committee in the coming days.
Gebremedhin has previously worked as the coach of the Ethiopian national side after the dismissal of Yohannis Sahle in 2016. He led the team to victory in two 2017 AfCON qualifying encounters against Lesotho and Seychelles.
Veteran coach Seyoum and Abraham are not new faces in coaching the national side.
Seyoum was at the helm some 15 years ago. Abraham, who has led Yemen to a major tournament final in March, has said to be leaving his job as head coach of Yemen if he can get the Ethiopia job. Abraham has never kept his desire to coach Ethiopia a secret.
The federation has seemingly opted for local coaches for the third time running. Former Saint George boss Dutchman Mart Nooji has submitted his CV but could not make it to the final cut.
Cameroon 2019 Group F standings
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by FSL News | 8 Jul, 2018 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone
Delegates and Members of the Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone (SWASAL) on Saturday 7th July 2018 endorsed a new Executive that will operate the affairs of the association for the next three years.
The Chief Electoral Commissioner of SLAJ James Tamba Lebbie declared Frank Magnus Cole as President; Austin Thomas, Vice President; Sahr Morris Jnr., Secretary General; Mohamed Konneh, Financial Secretary; Festus J. Lahai, Organizing Secretary and Ishmail Saidu Kanu as Public Relations Officer.
Speaking after the declaration ceremony, the SWASAL President Frank M.E. Cole thanked the entire membership for giving him the opportunity to serve them for the second time.
The President noted that his executive is determined to take the association to another level.
“We have completed the process to bring more women into the association”, he added.
“We have thoroughly scrutinized the application forms for new intake and we hope to shortlist those who meet the criteria as provided by SWASAL the constitution”.
The SWASAL President ended by assuring the general membership of his continued support to them as an individual and his effort to develop the association.
Delegates at the Triennial Congress congratulated the new executive and called on them to work very hard to fulfil their promises.
© SWASAL By Ishmail Saidu Kanu in Kenema
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by FSL News | 8 Jul, 2018 | African News
The Confederation of African Football (Caf), have confirmed a life banned for Kenya assistant referee Aden Range Marwa.
The decision was made on Saturday by the Caf Disciplinary board over cases of the referees named in media.
CAF in a statement announced the decision to axe Marwa following his alleged bribery scandal recently exhumed by Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Marwa and ten other referees were handed different bans of between two to 10 years while 11 were provisionally suspended pending their appearance in front of the board on August 5.
“The following decisions were taken by the Caf Disciplinary board regarding the referees involved, Mr Marwa Range, assistant referee (Kenya); life ban from all Caf related football activities,” read the statement.
This precedes an expose that was released by Ghanaian journalist that revealed the rot behind the character of African football match officials in early June.
Marwa was pictured receiving $600 (Shs 60,000) from early June, from spies of Anas who disguised themselves as Ghanaian football officials seeking to influence the outcome of a match.
He was named among the 63 match officials to officiate the nearly ending 2018 World Cup in Russia.
However, he opted out after the BBC story became public, after which FIFA gave a statement that he was going to be replaced. He is yet to give a statement on the decision made by CAF Disciplinary Board.
MEDIA RELEASE DECISIONS OF THE DISCIPLINARY BOARD OF 7th JULY 2018
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