By Sheku Putka Kamara
With all of what is happening at the ongoing Afcon, suffice to suggest that if Leone Stars would have been a part of same, we could have sparked some surprises too? The African Cup of Nations is like a league of its own and if not for anything, we have seen how supposed ‘small nations’ have sparked surprises much to the admiration of even the ‘bigger nations.’ Such happenings continue to suggest that football is really a game of luck, skill and strength.
Sierra Leone has tasted some bits of past appreciable glories, but current trends do not put us in the best of situations. With little or no progress over the years, it begs the question what we have really been doing in so far as sports’ administration is concerned.
Football has the unification power and progress, but it equally has the penchant to make us go global. Imagine what level we rushed to when we had a 4 all draw with Nigeria? Those positives are surely needed again. As it stands, tensions are beginning to mount and rise in Sierra Leone as to who will become the next President of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA). Whiles Thomas Daddy Brima seems not to be interested in election talks, others believe that he deserves a second chance. Earlier, there were talks about Isha Johansen wanting to come back, but her media handlers have rubbished those claims; same for Lawyer Emmauel Saffa Abdulai, PhD who has refuted the postulation. However, one name that keeps popping up is that of Babadi Kamara’s. Say what you may, that man has done his bits and if we are to go by the numbers, it looks like he’d be the man to beat come 2025?
If much attention is placed on sports/football in particular, we could do a whole lot of things. This is not to say that we cannot concentrate on other sectors, but premium attention has to be placed where things really and truly matter.
We cannot overstate how Sierra Leoneans cherish sports; football in particular. I could even recall an article where I captured fans’ love to an extent that they will line up at local pitches in their hundreds if not thousands all because of the love of the game. That goes to tell and suggest that if we continue to do the right things in and for football, we may all get to those enviable positions that we all so desire.
Today, we all may be appreciate of a good number of other nations in and out of Africa, but the question is – did they start big? The answer is likely ‘no.’ It is on that note that we all should continue to give in our best in promoting the game and in the best interest of our beloved country.
If we agree that this is the only place we call home, it is therefore prudent to see that we all do what we could in the best interest of utilitarianism (providing the greatest good for the greatest number).
We could really and truly have a lot of suggestions about what the way forward could be. It is on that note that the Ministry of Sports, SLFA and all other stakeholders come on board and see that what the fans desire becomes a reality in a not-too-distant-future too.
Copyright –Published in Expo Magazine, February Edition, Vol.2, No.2, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)