January 29, 2019
By Sahr Morris Jnr
View of the scoreboard in Sunday’s match
Former Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), Alimu Bah, has called on the World football governing body, FIFA, to have a rethink on their decision to ban the country from international football.
The sports administrator, who was left bemused by the turnout of Sierra Leonean football loving fans to grace the opening league fixture of the Sierra Leone premier league, which has not been playing for over four years, believes FIFA needs to have a different idea of the game in the country.
“The turnout of the fans is a good sign for the country’s football and a sign to FIFA that Sierra Leone and Sierra Leoneans are ready to play football,” Bah said, adding that the word is a global village and FIFA would know what was happening in the country.
The former SLFA scribe pleaded to Sierra Leoneans to continue their support and follow the league which is the biggest football tournament in the country and support their players by going to the matches.
Despite the FIFA international ban on Sierra Leone football, the country’s Premier League made a glorious return at the Siaka Stevens stadium in Freetown with over 35,000 fans, who witnessed league’s opener between Mighty Blackpool and East End Lions.