By Politico staff writer
The General Secretary of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) Chris Kamara has been suspended from office for 14 days for what the Ethics Board of the association says are his actions that have prevented or obstructed the activities of the board.
A letter from the board dated 11th February, 2022 and addressed to Kamara, accused him of breaching provisions of the Ethics Code and Regulations and demanded a written explanation from him within 72 hours.
In the letter, the board detailed instances wherein the general secretary failed to ensure the requisite budgetary and other support were made available to the board for work to commence on the election of Officers of the Executive Committee of the SLFA following thorough integrity checks.
Instances were given in which attempts by the board to have a meeting with the secretariat at different dates in September and October last year to address the growing concerns of the board, were ignored.
And when Kamara and the SLFA President finally sat with officials of the board in late October, it was also stated that their concerns that included lack of a venue for board meetings and non-availability of “logistical support for the investigation and adjudication of very serious issues referred to the board”, were made known. The conclusion was for the board to draw up a budget, which was done and sent to the secretariat. “Since our last engagement on the topic, we have observed as a Board with utmost disappointment , that there has been no response as to how we should move forward in the face of referrals of very serious matters, to us as a body”, the letter states.
According to the Board, Kamara’s conduct was “an infraction of Article 3(10) (b) and (e) supra by way of obstructing and/or preventing the activities of the Ethics Board, the penalty of which is enumerated in Article 3(10) (e) supra”.
The Board then went on to inform Kamara that: “We have resolved to suspend you from the office of General Secretary effective immediately for an interim period of 14 days or the determination of this allegation against you, whichever is later.
Sources told Politico that the action by the Board could be a prelude to the sacking of Kamara. It was even stated by the same sources that the Executive Committee had almost reached an overwhelming consensus to have the SLFA scribe sacked in the first place, but that two of their members refused to endorse the decision.
Kamara was recently the subject of public outcry after he went on radio insisting that players of the national football team Leone Stars returned their AfCON tournament suitcases before they could each get the $1,000 given to them by Sierra Fisheries Company.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (16/02/22)
