Sierra Leone: SLFA, Sports Ministry in New Row – Minister Blasts FA, Police Sabotage

Concord Times (Freetown)

27 June 2011

Freetown — The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) and the Youth Employment and Sports Ministry could be in for another serious bust-up with Minister Paul Kamara accusing both the SLFA and the Sierra Leone police of sabotage.

The recent outburst from the Sports Minister came four weeks after the national team, Leone Stars’ clash with the Mena Stars of Niger in Freetown in a 2012 African Nations Cup qualifier which the Stars won 1-0.

According to the minister, the sabotage from the SLFA started earlier when Alhaji Unisa Alim Awoko Sesay – an ex-officio member of the FA – said they will withdraw the national team from the Nations Cup qualifiers if he (the minister) insisted on having Swedish coach, Lars Olof Mattsson to lead the Leone Stars.

“Another evidence of sabotage was that the SLFA deliberately failed to send the players’ air tickets on time; even the lodging of players we found difficult because of the FA’s past debt record.

“They also failed to pay the referees and match commissioners on time, leading to the officials to officiate the match in an unpleasant mood,” Kamara said, adding that the FA in their continued effort to sabotage his ministry and the success of the national team deliberately went against all plans made by the Sports ministry toward the holding of the match.

The minister further revealed that some members of the FA, including Awoko, bulldozed their way into the presidential stand without buying tickets and taking along over 50 Niger fans. The minister stated as a case in point the unhappy mood of the Football Association authorities after the national team scored the only goal of the match.

On the side of the police, the minister said they sabotaged the match by recycling the tickets and also accepting money from fans to enter the stadium.

“The police failed to provide robust security throughout the match, instead they were busy recycling tickets and taking money from fans to enter the venue,” Kamara alleged.

However, media officer of the SLFA, Sorie Ibrahim Sesay said all the statements and accusations from the minister were on the contrary, claiming that it was the minister himself who failed to collaborate with the FA in planning for the match.

He said: “Before the match we held a meeting with the ministry and we agreed to take up several responsibilities ranging from the camping of the players to training allowances. He scrapped the entire arrangement we had made to lodge the players at Hill Valley Hotel and instead went ahead to Bintumani Hotel, where he spend a lot of money.”

Sesay added: “Any time the minster has messed up he is finding a scapegoat, and we are not in for his rubbish.”

On the side of the police, Senior Inspector in charge of sports, S.I. Muranah said the allegation made by the minister against his personnel was unfortunate but declined to comment further, saying they will soon convene a press conference to react to the allegations.

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