By Francis H. Murray
The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has disclosed that it will appeal the decision by the Organising Committee of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) to postpone the country’s qualifying fixture with Benin, to the next FIFA international window in June 2021.
The Association in a press release issued on 31st March 2021 states: “Consequently, and in accordance with art. 83, 84 and 85 of the AFCON Regulations which adequately address issues around failure to report for a match and/or refusal to play, of which there have been several precedents, the Sierra Leone Football Association has resolved to appeal the decision of the AFCON Organizing Committee.’’
While the FA admitted to have been notified by the continental football body about the decision, it noted that CAF as regulator did not state the yardstick used by the Committee to arrive at the said decision.
Head of Media and Marketing, Ibrahim Kamara told Politico that they are relying on the relevant provisions that speak to the abandonment of matches, adding that CAF needed to explain to the Association how they arrived at the decision which he said was not in the correspondence the confederation issued.
Denying any procedural breaches on the part of the federation with regards to the timing of the test, he said: “the rule states that the results of the testing should be made known to the respective teams at least two hours before the match and we provided the results well in time. They were given the results at the hotel before they took off for the Stadium but they rejected the results, questioning its validity.’’
He said: “We will like to assure the general public that this decision from CAF is one that we’re going to resist and vehemently challenge, in line with the statutory provisions that speak to issues like this. We’re going to ensure that we use every fiber that we have to pursue this matter to the last. We as a football association think and we know that based on the AFCON regulation, the points should have been awarded to us and Benin to forfeit, as a result of them abandoning the match.’’
The decision for the postponement of the highly anticipated qualifying match between the two countries came after five first team players from the Benin national team tested positive for Covid-19.
It also followed a much heavy weather made by the visitors about the outcome of the Covid-19 test results by questioning its validity and refusing to honour the fixture.
A statement from CAF released on 31st March 2021 ordered that the match be postponed to the next FIFA international window in June 2021.
“The CAF Organising Committee for the Africa Cup of Nations has decided to postpone the AFCON 2021 qualification match between Sierra Leone and Benin to the next FIFA international window in 2021… the Committee made this decision after reviewing official accounts of the incident that stopped the match from taking place at the scheduled time,’’ the release reads.
CAF says that the reason for the decision is that because the match was scheduled to be played on the last day of the international window, and that scheduling it for the following day would have affected the players scheduled return to their respective clubs.
While it assured both countries of its resolve in providing further information on the rearranged fixture, it further noted that moving the match to the next international window was the best course of action in the circumstance.
The circumstances surrounding the Covid-19 test which prompted CAF to take the rather contentious decision has brought mixed feelings among football loving fans as well as administrators of the game.
David G. Turner, football administrator of the Western Area Football Association (SLFA) in his opinion said that there was a procedural problem with the country’s football administering body and its health response team for failing to have conducted the test on the players immediately after their arrival which was the case for other incoming passengers.
“I think that CAF is right in their decision because the SLFA and the country’s health emergency response team failed to test the players immediately they landed. NACOVERC has said that testing for all incoming passengers at the Airport is mandatory but when it came to the players, the state officials failed to do the needful which I consider a procedural failure on their part,’’ he stated.
He further maintained that the FA officials waited until the other day which brings to question the timing of the results which he said came in an hour before the commencement of the match.
Abdul Bangura, a supporter of Eastern Lions Football Club said that he sees nothing wrong with the decision of SLFA to announce test results to the visiting team in the interest of public health safety and in conformity with CAF regulations at this time of Covid-19.
Copyright © Politico Online (01/04/21)
