Sierra Leone: Awoko Hits Back At Sports Minister

Concord Times (Freetown)

29 June 2011

Freetown — Ex-officio member of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), Alhaji Unisa Alim Awoko Sesay has hit back at recent charges made against him by the Youth Employment and Sports Minister, Paul Kamara.

The minister at a press conference last week lambasted members of the SLFA, including Awoko, of sabotaging the national team, Leone Stars’ 2012 African Nations Cup qualifying match against Niger in Freetown. According to Awoko, who said he is an executive member of the FA, he was not surprised by the minister’s comments “because since his appointment as minister he has a fixed mind and bitter concept of the Football Association (FA)”.

He said: “Paul Kamara needs to behave like a minister; he should have respect for others. How can he say I am not an executive member of SLFA when the SLFA constitution spells this out clearly…?” he stressed.

Sesay maintained that the SLFA is not answerable to Paul Kamara as a minister but the Sports Council “which is guided by the Sports Council Act of 1964”.

“We are answerable to the Sports Council and not the minster. We want Paul Kamara to know that from this day onward we are going to take full responsibility of football, enough is enough,” Awoko stated. “We should be blamed for giving too much privilege to the minister.”

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