Owing to the ongoing brouhaha within the country’s football stakeholders, FIFA-the world football governing body had issued a press statement on the previous Friday, stated that the Sierra Leone Football Association should forget about holding it planned ordinary congress which was slated for tomorrow-14 July 2017.
According to the press statement, the memorandum of understanding signed by the Federation International Football Association Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, the Sierra Leone Football Association President, Isha Johansen and the Minister of Sport, Mohamed Khanou had not been adhere and upheld.
The tripartite agreement called for implementation on integrity checks of current and potential Sierra Leone Football Association executive members, and that has not been carried out, also the Judicial bodies and administrative officials registered with the Sierra Leone Football Association must undergo integrity test too.
The points mentioned above in the press statement from FIFA is not only discouraging young talented stars in the country, but that is exposes the lack of seriousness on the part of the major stakeholders of the country’s sector.
Over the years the country’s youths have been deprived of the opportunity to play football and partake in other international competitions, owing to egocentric interest of some officials in the game.
As a matter of fact, the FA President had a pending mater at the Anti-Corruption Commission for accountability and integrity check.
In the light of the unfortunate situation, the Minister of Sports, Ahmed Khanou had challenged the decision of FIFA that they will go ahead with congress.
Ahmed Khanou who is also the moral guarantor for the ordinary and elective congress insisted that nothing would stop them from holding the 2017 congress, as he furthered that despite his ministry currently working assiduously to restore sanity in the game love by many Sierra Leoneans, however, FIFA officials appeared to be throwing spanner into the good work of his ministry and other football stakeholders.
He continued that he would inform President Ernest Bai Koroma accordingly for his advice and also pointed out that the press statement was a clear manifestation that Sierra Leoneans did not love one another, he expressed frustration.
‘’This is national issue that we should clean up internally, why are they taking it out of Sierra Leone to destroy the image of the country,’’ Ahmed stated.
The Minister of Sports expressed disappointment over the attitude of the President of Sierra Leone Football Association, Isha Johansen and pleaded with her to reason out and end the awful situation garner around the country’s football.
He noted that Isha Johansen had deliberately refused to conform to resolutions reached at various meetings, and even had a telephone conversation with her, but that she was bitter and her responses were a clear indication that she was not prepare for peace and unity within the association and for the good of football in the country.
