By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
This will be another busy weekend of matches in the Sierra Leone Premier League. After the first round of matches it’s beginning to look like the era of business as usual on the field of play is over.
Defending champion, Bo Rangers who represented Sierra Leone in the CAF Champions League and were eliminated in the preliminary round of the competition and FC Kallon who suffered the same fate in the CAF Confederation Cup were given a good football lesson by new boys, Real Republicans and Bai Bureh Warriors of PortLoko respectively.
In preparation for the 2022/2023 league season, Bo Rangers have so far made three signings in forward Fleance Jumu Kamara, midfielder Mohamed Kabba and winger Kellyela Massaquoi. Their opponents who are returning to the top flight after many years are not known to have made any significant signings or they chose to do their business quietly. Real Republicans won the national league 1981, 1983 and 1984 and performed remarkably well at continental level. The two teams that represented Sierra Leone only managed to draw with their opponents.
In the airport town of Lungi East End Lions comfortably beat newcomers Lamboi FC. The Lamboi FC team was no match for The Killers despite their captain Basiru Olu Koroma telling Politico to expect surprises because they were in top gear to stop East End Lions. Captain Koroma also said that additional players were recruited from Lungi, because their vision is to always lookout for players based in their locality “so that football light will shine on them”. Another league debutant Luawa FC owned by former Premier League Board Chairman, Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai also held Kamboi Eagles of Kenema away.
Teams have taken one action after the other to motivate their players with the Chairman of the 2021/2022 league season runners up, East End Lions, Anthony Navo Junior pledging Le 500,000,000 (five hundred millions old Leones) to the team if they emerge as Champions of the 2022/2023 premiere League season.
For week two in the Salone Premiere League, Freetown City FC will play host to East End Tigers on Friday 16th December, 2022 at the Brima Attouga Stadium. The same Friday will also see Freetonian SLIFA playing Lamboi at the Angola Field.
On Saturday 17th December, 2022, Luawa FC will entertain Bai Bureh Warriors at Kaliahun Field whilst Real Republicans will battle with FC Johansen at Police Field on Sunday 18th December, 2022. FC Kallon will host their counterpart, Diamond Stars from Kono at Angola Field on the same Sunday of 18th December, 2022.
The old rivalry between Port Authority and Mighty Blackpool will continue at Attouga Field on the 18th December, 2022 and Old Edwardians will play Bo Rangers at Wusum Field on the same date. East End Lions the Killers will be hosting Wusum Stars of Makeni at Approved School Field and Central Parade to host Kamboi Eagles at Parade Field on the 18th December, 2022 respectively.
Copyright © 2022 Politico (16/12/22)
