By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone (SWASAL) has called on the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate the Leone Stars trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for international friendlies.
They raised the concern in a press statement that was issued on 16 November, 2022.
SWASAL expressed dismay at the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), Ministry of Sports, and the National Sports Authority (NSA) over “a clandestine trip” to the UAE with the Sierra Leone senior national football team, Leone Stars, for “so called” friendly matches. It stated that, as the parent body of Sports journalists in Sierra Leone, the association was disappointed that the trip was shrouded in secrecy as local sports journalists were not even aware of their departure to UAE for the two scheduled 'unofficial friendlies'.
The statement went on to note that, the football authorities did not even publish the list of the official delegation to UAE before travelling. It referred to a letter being circulated on social media that bears the official logo/letterhead of SLFA which has a delegation of over 50 people, including footballers, noting that the information is not on their website or social media platforms.
According to the statement, SWASAL learned that Leone Stars would play Algeria on Saturday, 19th November 2022 but the Desert Warriors are also scheduled to play Sweden on that same day. It also pointed to sources which confirmed that Leone Stars would instead play against Algeria's home-based national team due to the senior team’s engagement with another nation.
The association also expressed concerned that majority of the officials who made the trip had no significance to either the players or the friendlies but were included for probably ‘a jolly ride’ and the collection of per-diems.
They condemned the tradition of including Government officials and other persons in Leone Stars delegations which in most cases have proven counterproductive and with negative outcomes.
The President of SWASAL, Sahr Morris Junior was also quoted in the release saying the UAE trip is suspicious and deserves an investigation. He called on the government and its agencies responsible for sports in the country to be more responsible, transparent, and accountable in carrying out their duties.
“It is disrespectful to both the local media and citizens for the authorities to make such an international trip without officially informing the public," he said.
He reiterated that, the authorities that travelled with the team to UAE owe Sierra Leoneans a lot of explanation. He said that, they need to answer to so many questions including the total cost of the trip and how much the government of Sierra Leone contributed to it.
Morris also urged the authorities to tell Sierra Leoneans who organized the said friendlies, and referred to the trip as very unfortunate and sheer waste of limited resources that could be utilized for the development of other sporting disciplines.
He pointed out that the national cricket team that is scheduled to play in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup sub-regional qualifiers is languishing without funds. He said, though football is one of the most popular sports, other sporting disciplines are in dire need of support to bring laurels to the country.
“Look at the recent achievement of Canadian-Sierra Leonean female boxer, Sara Haghighat-Joo. She is Sierra Leone's first Gold medalist in the 2022 AFBC Women Boxing Championship in Mobuto, Mozambique," said Morris.
Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone applauds the Government for its continued support of football and urges them to also seriously consider the allocation of funds and other resources for the development of other sporting disciplines and the much-needed sporting infrastructure.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (18/11/22)
