by FSL News | 31 Mar, 2018 | Players Abroad News
Boston University men’s soccer team midfielder, Peter Kargbo is targeting a chance to play professional football in the US Major League.
Kargbo, 20, who is a product of the Craig Bellamy Foundation, was one of the fortunate achievers following a scholarship in 2013 to the United State.
The young prospect since his move to the US has been brilliant, a three-time All-CIF First Team honoree for the Dunn School in California.
He told FootballSierraLeone.Net: “I’m in the US playing for Boston University men’s team. My ultimate goal after University is to be drafted for a professional contract in the Major League Soccer.”
“I moved here in 2013 when I was 15 on a scholarship, my ultimate dream has always been to play professional football, the MLS precisely.
“It was not easy to move from Sierra Leone to America at such an early age; I faced a couple of challenges at first that I had to overcome quickly to settle down.
“I love it here now, I have moved from California to Boston just pursuing my dream whilst also getting a quality education at such a university.
He continued: “Football has always been the driving force and has been taking me places and if I make it pro will just be an icing on the cake for me.
The Bellamy graduate added, “I want to help back home and give back but first I need to put myself in a position to do so, going pro will make me well-known in my country this will help a lot in this quest.”
Read More on Kargbo…Boston University 2017 Men’s Soccer Roster
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by FSL News | 30 Mar, 2018 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone
Rodney Michael, who is based in the United States is expected to be part of the Sierra Leone U20 squad, Football Sierra Leone understands.
Shooting Stars will play away in Bissau on Sunday, in the first leg of the 2019 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The 19-year-old starlet and US Dunn School product is earmarked to make his Sierra Leone U20 debut at the 24 de Setembro Stadium. The second leg is to be played at Bo City Stadium.
The Sierra Leone native, who played for the Santa Barbara Soccer Club from 2014-2017, led the club to the 2016 U-18 National Championship and earned Best-XI honours.
Read More. Michael Lands on Top Drawer’s All-Freshman First Team.
Another player, who has confirmed he will be joining the team is 18-year-old Benevolence Kargbo from Lizzy sports academy in Ghana.
Sources close to the Sierra Leone Football Association, (SLFA) have confirmed the team will travel today Friday en route Conakry Guinea and arrive in Guinea Bissau Friday night for the match barring any unforeseen circumstances.
In another development, Mercury International on Thursday approved $30,000 in emergency funding as a major boost to the country’s National youth side.
Sierra Leone expected a delegation to Guinea Bissau
1 Sylvanus Parkins, 2 Mohamed Nbalie Kamara, 3 Joseph Turay, 4 Tijan Sie Bangura, 5 Salif Conteh, Bankole Cole, 6 Masalaki Bangura, 8 Mohamed Fogbawa, 9 James Mansaray, 10 Julius Goba, 11 John Thomas Kamara, 12 Solomon Lewis, 13 Alhassan Koroma, 14 Alusine Koroma, 15 Musa Kamara, 16 Ahmed Vandi, 17 Rodney Michael, 18 Benevolence Kargbo, 19 Ballie Kamara, 20 Ibrahim Kamara.
Head of the delegation – Saddick Deen Nyarkoh
SLFA – Abu Bakarr Kamara
Head Coach – Ken Tabi
Asst Coach – Raymond Lewis
Team Doctor – Usif Kamara
Masseur – Philli Koi
Welfare Officer Abu Mazolla Kargbo
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by FSL News | 29 Mar, 2018 | African News
Guinea Bissau technician Emiliano Te’ has named his 20-man squad including 15 foreign-based for the Niger 2019 first leg doubleheader U20 AFCON preliminary qualifier, which will take place on April 1.
The Bissau’s U20 side are set to host Sierra Leone’s Shooting Stars on Sunday, at the 24 de Setembro Stadium, with the second leg expected to be played at Bo City Stadium.
Shooting Stars Cameroonian coach, Ken Tabi is faced with a tougher task. Sampdoria Primavera player Janclaudio Gomes Ricciulli, Chaves defensive midfielder Manuel Pami Costa, Ismael José Gomes from Porto and left-back João Vaz Mendes are some of the noticeable players in the Bissau’s side.
The Senegalese referees, who will be in charge of the contest, are Alioune Sow SANDIGUI (SEN), Amadou Ngom (SEN), and El Hadji Abdoul Aziz GUEYE (SEN).
This will be the 21st edition of the Total Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, the biennial international youth football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for players aged 20 and below.
The winner between the two countries will face Nigeria’s Flying Eagles of Nigeria.
The Flying Eagles will then play away to the overall winners of this first round clash on May 11, 12 or 13 with the return leg in Nigeria a week later.
The overall winners of this clash will then feature in a final playoff which could involve Morocco/Mauritania or Guinea.
This final U20 AFCON qualifier is billed for July and Zambia are the defending champions.
The four semi-finalists will be at the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup.
15 foreign-based below…
1 – Bubacar Sidibé (Alcanenense Portugal) 2 – Jefferson Encada (Olhanense Portugal) 3 – Samir Banjai (Desportivo de Chaves – Portugal 4 – Babagaldé Malam Baldé (SL Cartaxo Potugal) 5 – Emílio Paulo Mendes Biepar (Palencia Cristo Atlético – Spain 6 – Ismael José Gomes (Porto) 7 – Carlos Vaz Fernandes (FC Carregal de Sal – Portugal) 8 – Janclaudio Gomes Ricciulli (Sampdoria – Italy) 9 – Mada Alberto Pereira (Sport of the Birds) 10 – Florentino Luís da Silva (Sport of the Birds) 11 – Manuel Pami Costa (Chaves ) 12 – Umaru Esmeraldo Pereira (Real Sport Club Massamá) 13 – Al-Hassan Djassi Ould Hamed Lamin (Lazio Societa Sportiva SPA) 14 – João Vaz Mendes (Sport of Trofense) 15 – Roger AC Pinto (Rio Ave)
Home-based players below… 16 – Iano (Sport Bissau and Benfica), 17 – Ussumane Baipar (Sport Bissau and Benfica), 18 – Emerson (UDIB), 19 – Ivanov (UDIB), 20 – Salifo (Flamenco Pefine), 21 – Horácio Braima Djau (Club Sintra Football)
Sierra Leone U20 Previous Results
Sat 28/07/12 Sierra Leone 1 – 1 Cameroon U20
Sat 11/08/12 Cameroon 2 – 0 Sierra Leone U20
Fri 04/04/14 Sierra Leone 1 – 0 Guinea U20
Thu 24/04/14 Guinea 0 – 1 Sierra Leone
Fri 09/05/14 Sierra Leone 0 – 2 Ghana
Fri 23/05/14 Ghana 2 – 1 Sierra Leone
Sat 02/04/16 Sierra Leone 0 – 2 Gambia
Sat 23/04/16 Gambia 2 – 0 Sierra Leone U20
Compiled by Bissau Journalist Sene Camara’ (Seninho) and @bittar32 Follow us On Twitter @football_serra/Facebook Football Sierra Leone
by FSL News | 29 Mar, 2018 | Players Abroad News
Swedish Superretan side IK Frej Täby Media Rep has heaped praise on Sierra Leone international Alie Sesay’s attributes ahead of the 2018 Superettan season.
The former Leicester City and Barnet defender pictured in action, was an instrumental figure last season when the Swedish second tier side was struggling to save their Superretan season.
Sesay, 24, whose contract runs out 31/12/2018 made 27 Superretan appearances last season scoring two goals played 2221 minutes.
One of Täby’s Media Rep, Sebastian Jangebring Burell, who himself was a former keeper told Football Sierra Leone that the defender qualities was one of the pivotal reason why the club survived relegation.
“Alie was good last season and he is a very good defender, often selected as a centre back to start the plays up-field. He was one of the reasons that we managed to stay in Superetan to be fair,” Sebastian Jangebring recorded.
“Alie has a professional attitude both off and on the pitch and one of the fans favourites. He is respected by his teammates.”
“On centre back position, Alie is one of our choices ahead of the new season.”
When asked about if the former Leicester City academy graduate is struggling with the language he said, “Football is the same language all over the world. So that’s not a problem.”
On a potential new deal, he added: “Time will tell, no one is having a safe spot in this sport”
The English-born Sierra Leonean professional will be expected to continue his firm form when Täby kicks off their 2018 campaign at against Norrby IF at home on April 2nd.
Sesay, who was called up to represent Sierra Leone for the first time, made his debut in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Cameroon on 11 October 2014 in Yaoundé.
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by FSL News | 28 Mar, 2018 | Players Abroad News
The Young Tigers celebrated after the full-time whistle on Saturday
Morlai Kamara has hailed his young Lambert Tiger’s generation after their triumph in the just-concluded London FA under 14 elite cup.
Kamara guided his Tigers young guns to a 6-5 victory over Most Wanted on penalties after both sides played 2-2 full time at Kidbrooke Dursley stadium.
Tiger’s on their way to the final defeated Nasaa FC 5-1 at Dulwich Park to set up a date with Most Wanted.
The Tigers starlets are also second behind Crystal Palace under 14 in the league on goals difference.
“I am immensely proud of the lads. Amazing achievement, the Former Old Edwardian and Sierra Fisheries winger told footballsierraleone.net.
“I’m fortunate to find myself in this football environment with such and many young talented players and coaches with the same vision and ideology on how Football should play the right way.”
“The boys understood what we taught them, the right way to play football win or lose the fundamentals always the same.
He continued: “We develop the kids to play football at the highest level. Since 2010 the club had produced up 118 academy players all over the UK from all top divisions.
The former Sierra Fisheries player was always determined that football would remain a daily part of his life.
“I’m learning every day from the other coaches, from great clubs with a great philosophy.”
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by FSL News | 26 Mar, 2018 | International, National Sport News Sierra Leone
Recognised Sierra Leone’s FA president, Isha Johansen, has written to World football governing body, Fifa to request an investigation into Iran and Sierra Leone international friendly.
The World-Cup bound side proved too strong when they dismantled a Sierra Leone side largely dominated by local stars 4-0 Saturday, March 17 in an international friendly at the Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
A brace for Ali Gholizadeh and a goal apiece for Mohammad Reza Khanzadeh and Kaveh Rezaei helped the host to outclass their struggling visitors.
The match was planned by the present SLFA executive under the acting head, Brima Mazola Kamara (though not recognised by FIFA).
“I’d like to suggest the Match-Fixing Enquiry Committee looks into [how] this friendly was agreed upon and conducted by the SLFA,” Johansen wrote to Fifa.
“I was impersonated in this arrangement,” Kamara told BBC Sport in a statement. He says he did not initially see the correspondence.
The FFIRI, which funded Sierra Leone’s flights and accommodation, says it would have cancelled the friendly had it known of its alleged true nature. However, once the players had landed in Iran, the FFIRI felt there was little option but to play the game, BBC reported.
“Cancelling the match will definitely lead to an immense financial loss for our federation, not to mention that all preparations plans will be disrupted ahead of the World Cup,” FFIRI president Mehdi Taj wrote to Johansen two days before the friendly.
The latter says she allowed the game to go ahead in order to preserve “long-term future relations” with Iran but she has had serious reservations since.
“I am gravely concerned by recent events,” added Johansen in her letter, which was copied to Fifa general secretary Fatma Samoura.
“My fear is that activities may have already taken place unknowingly to me for which I may one day [have] to account for.”
Sierra Leone football is presently facing an investigation into match-fixing, over a World Cup qualifier between Sierra Leone and South Africa in June 2008, which ended goalless.
Johansen, who is also under investigation, now wants the Iran game to be added to the matches being investigated by this Match Fixing Enquiry Committee.
It could be recalled that on October 2017, Isha Johansen and Kamara were both ordered by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to step aside following charges of abuse of office and pilfering of public funds. The matter is ongoing.
In spite of the above, Fifa says they recognize the Johansen leadership until Integrity checks and elections are conducted.
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