By Alpha Abu
The photo of Bo Rangers Executive Chairman Babadi Kamara and the former president of the Sierra Leone Football Association Isha Johansen appeared on social media platforms the other day and already tongues are wagging. The rumour and speculation mill has gone into overdrive. That’s understandable because in about a year from now SLFA president Thomas Daddy Brima is up for re-election and it’s beginning to look like for him to stay at Kingtom, he may have to cross a formidable obstacle in the shape of Babadi Kamara. Kamara has not formally put himself forward but his friends are out there already telling the world that it’s game on.
Isha Johansen was controversially elected president of the SLFA in 2013 and it was the most extraordinary SLFA election ever in this country - powerful delegates boycotted the process believing it was flawed; delegates were quickly manufactured and brought into the room to vote with the country’s Inspector General of all people watching over proceedings.
Football administration was thrown into paralysis for eight years, the game itself failed to kick off as stakeholders battled to take Johansen out of office. All this while, she was busy building powerful connection in CAF and FIFA so that before she was eventually forced out she had used those connections at FIFA to set in motion development plans for the general benefit of Salone football-one of them being the upgrading of football fields across the country with artificial surface.
The man implementing those projects now is Thomas Daddy Brima who has only Isha Johansen to thank for defying all the odds stacked up against his ill-fated candidacy to win with the slimmest of margins in Makeni. Correct me if I am wrong, I have never heard of Johansen being credited for that. Despite the turbulence of her years at the helm of Salone football administration she gained enormous influence in the local game.
Like it or not, Isha still commands remarkable and unflinching influence among football stakeholders – those who make the decision that Thomas Daddy Brima and Babadi Kamara want to benefit next year. So the picture of her and Babadi Kamara has generated a lot of debate, speculation and theoretical postulations amongst football fans on various social media platforms.
Some have called it a lethal combination that should worry the current leaders of the SLFA. Others have downplayed things, describing that meeting as a mere courtesy engagement and that in any case the SLFA has changed beyond Johansen’s recognition since she left, casting doubt over her ability to influence voting decisions.
I do not want to rush into concluding one way or the other because, a week they say, is a long time in politics. However, taking a lot of issues we know about into consideration, this picture has given the football family a lot to think about and people like us, a lot to write about. Did these people meet by chance or was it pre-arranged and was there a formal agenda with an eye on 2025?
Individually Isha and Babadi have their fan base and they do wield considerable influence at different levels. Isha is the first woman to establish and nurture a male football club that eventually developed into a Premier League side, a feat many men will cringe at even its thought. Impressively as well she guided her team to Premier League promotion in 2012, eight years after it was formed.
After she was elected President of SLFA she initiated some impressive projects such as Powerplay - giving women and girls the impetus to play football and to be empowered as such, which gained the support of FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). She’s also credited with starting the African International Youth Tournament in 2009. Many football stakeholders today remain grateful to Isha for elevating them. Her being called up to serve in the FIFA Council sums up her pedigree at international level.
The other person in the photo represents the positives of present day Salone football. Babadi is a household name and no one can deny that. He has replaced mediocrity with class and ambition in the beautiful game. We know how he has transformed then football minnows Bo Rangers into an enviable killing machine.
He has demonstrated how football is truly a project, with a plan and clearly defined objectives for success.
Babadi built the club – the structures both physical and otherwise, that have stabilized it and given it not just the competitive drive but the power and desire to win.
The club house he built and the impressive Southern Arena football facility which Bo Rangers use for their home matches are testament to his industrious drive.
His brief tenure as Manager of the men’s national team Leone Stars shows he is a man ready to serve in any capacity that will raise the game for the benefit of all. His love for the game is not just limited to his Bo Rangers.
Babadi’s philanthropic gestures have transcended beyond his club, reaching out to other clubs in distress and generally supporting the football family when and where necessary.
As SLFA President many believe Babadi will bring progress and discipline to the game because today we are witnesses to unspeakable violence and all round lawlessness where people should meet and have fun.
It’s still not official that Babadi Kamara is running next year. As we say in journalism, WATCH THIS SPACE.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (13/05/24)
