By Zainab Joaque
The Sierra Leone Football Association has set out 10 conditions for its members to fulfill by 17th February because failure 'will leave the secretariat with no option than to ensure we carry out the regularisation process starting from all the issues raised.'
In a letter addressed to all its member, the SLFA referred to a declaration signed by the membership in October 2010 and asked them to provide evidence that they had complied with the provisions of that declaration including that 'all premier league clubs must contract their players/employees properly by December 2010. Contracts must include limited insurance cover for various categories of staff...and all premier league clubs have requisite administrative personnel,' by the same time.
The SLFA letter also requested its membership to meet all financial obligations going back five years running into more than two hundred million leones saying that meeting those condition would enable them 'participate fully in the ordinary congress scheduled to take place in Makeni city on the 17th - 19th April 2015.
When contacted by Politico for his comment on the latter, the chairman of the interim body of the SLFA which recently announced the impeachment of the organisation's president said he would be responding in detail 'very soon'. But he said 'my initial reaction would be that the conditions now being set would leave the SLFA with no members.'
Alhaji Unisa Alims Sesay said, 'applying those conditions as set out in the SLFA letter would invalidate the process by which Isha Johansen became president...her election would be null and void. This is only an open attempt to disenfranchise members intending to fully participate in the coming congress.'
He said the 'Barmoi Declaration they are referring to are a mere expression of the intention of members regarding their vision for their various clubs and that they were primarily intended to prepare the clubs for CAF competitions. How come Kamboi Eagles are taking part now without meeting these conditions?' Sesay called on the SLFA to publish the full declaration ' so the public get a clear picture.'
On their financial obligations, he said they had agreed at congress that such monies must be deducted from their allocations provided by FIFA.
Other football administrators contacted by Politico said they were 'studying the documents before making comments.'
© Politico 12/02/15
