…Dept. Sports Minster
June 20, 2016 By Sahr Morris Jr.
Deputy Minister Sports Minister Ismail Al Sankoh-Conteh has said that the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) match-fixing enquiry committee is undermining his ministry’s work and violating the National Sports Council (NSC) Act, as well as the Sports Policy.
The outspoken deputy sports minister’s latest comment came just 24 hour after the SLFA match-fixing enquiry committee released a press statement that they would commence proceedings on 19 July.
Former SLFA administrative secretary, Abu Bakarr Kabba (aka Sweet K), Alimamy Turay, Morison Sannoh and Salifu Samura are the first set of names to face the committee for allegations of match-fixing.
However, Sankoh-Conteh denounced the said committee, adding: “It is an Illegal committee with no authority to investigate any match-fixing allegation because we already have a seven man committee setup and the chairman of that committee was approved by the Minster of Justice.
“Who so ever is heading that SLFA committee is doing the wrong thing and what they are doing is undermining the Sports Ministry. They are also going against the NSC Act and also the Sports Policy.”
On 13 April this year, the SLFA match-fixing committee chairman, Retired Major Palo Conteh and legal counsel to the three-man committee, Drucil Taylor, informed the media about the commencement of the long awaited match-fixing allegations inquiry.
The news was published on the official SLFA Facebook page, but some section of football fans criticised the move. One Sulaiman Bangura reacted: “You people are not serious about the game, instead of building bridges you are making fences.” Another fan, Alie Ahmed El-Alie wrote: “Funny things always happen, you will continue to destroy the game selfishly, but remember you will not be there forever.”