SATURDAY, 2 AUGUST 2025
Hello, Esteem and most worthy Footballing Family, I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It is such
an honor to stand before you today. We have won today. My name was on
the ballot for President, but you and I know that football is the real winner.
Thank you all so much for the extraordinary honor of being elected
President of the Sierra Leone Football Association. There are so many
people I need to thank who have worked very hard.
First of all, I am grateful for Allah’s goodness and grace that have brought me to this point. He would never give me more than I can’t handle, and I know that. I’m thankful for Him getting us al to this point. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the delegates. You showed up and showed out. Today, you voted for action, not politics as usual. Your will is sacred.
There has never been a more humbling moment in my life, not just because of what happened today. I don’t feel victorious today, but a deep sense of responsibility. I understand the huge task ahead of us and the men and women with me. We see the trust you placed in us as sacred, and we will do everything we can to earn your faith. Wrongdoings have occurred, but not out of malice. I ask you, football stakeholders, to support us in our efforts, as pure intentions are needed.
I want to briefly thank some very special people who are with me here today and who made this possible. Thank you to my fantastic team, Mayor Alie Badara Tarawallie, Vice President 1 elect, Prince Saquee, Vice President 2 elect, Deputy Mayor Kweku Lisk, Mr. M.S. Jalloh, and Haja Ramatulai Kamara, ex officio members. You all have worked tirelessly for years, and your hard work has paid off.
I also want to thank my family, both at home and abroad, my wife, and
especially my son, Bashir, whose first birthday is today. Thank you, Mr.
Abdul Karim Bangura, my younger brother, in whom I am well pleased.
Thank you, Pa Alie Commoner Kargbo. My understanding is that you are sick and out of the country on medical. I pray that Allah, in his magnificent grace to heal you. Thank you to my mother, Haja Jattu Kamara, for not only bringing me to this world but for raising me up in a God-fearing manner. To my Yaoundé brothers and sister, thank you.
To the Government of Sierra Leone, thank you for providing us with the enabling environment to play football and for your continual support to Football through the NSA and Ministry of Sports. Soon, you will be seeing us knocking on your doors for discussions worthy of driving our football.
To the world governing body FIFA, CAF and WAFU, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts on behalf of every Sierra Leonean for your support and patience.
Brothers and sisters, the delegates have spoken. They have delivered a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for us, the football-loving people of our country. It is a victory for all our fellow citizens who have chosen football as a career but find themselves struggling in a country that leaves too many behind.
And to everyone who supported us, I am proud of the members of our
brilliant, aggressive, unconventional, but always winning campaign that we
built and ran. I am proud of the coalition we assembled, the broadest and most diverse in our football political history. From strategists, financiers, advisers, and the media team to our volunteers and mobilizers, you have been crucial in making this happen. We owe you. We owe you everything.
And I am humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in us. I
pledge to be a President who seeks not to divide but to unify. Regardless of how they may have voted, it is a meaningful moment for us, and I want to express my appreciation to everyone involved. We encourage everyone to join us in developing the game. We are a group that believes everyone, regardless of ethnicity, region, religion, political affiliation, gender, or disability, has something valuable to offer. So, let’s give each other a chance.
Brothers and sisters, our football deserves less division and less hatred. It is time to set aside the harsh rhetoric, cool down, and start seeing each other again. Listen to one another once more.
And to make progress, we must stop treating our competitors as enemies. They are not our enemies. We are all Sierra Leoneans.
It is time for us to come together and address the issues hindering the game’s growth in communities across our nation. It is time to leave behind the politics of division and focus our efforts on development policies. We must carry this sacred responsibility with dignity and humility.
Our contenders deserve praise for a great race. We may have fought hard,
but it’s only because we love this game and care deeply about its future in our country. Now that this campaign has ended, let’s come together and transform this beautiful game that surpasses regional, political, and religious bigotries in our nation.
In Sierra Leone, football is not only the most popular sport, but it also
reflects the mood of the nation, uniting people in celebration when they win and in sorrow when they lose. In the coming weeks, we look forward to meeting with stakeholders to discuss ways to develop football in our country. When football wins, Sierra Leone wins, and when Sierra Leone wins, we all benefit.
Thank you, Sierra Leone, and may God bless the football family.
Mr. Babadi Kamara
President – Elect, SLFA
