By Septimus Senessie in Kono
There is confusion at the top management of the defending champions of the suspended premier league, Diamond Stars. Two factions within the club are at each other’s throat apparently as fallout from the recent election in the Sierra Leone Football Association.
According to a press release issued by the Chairman of the club, Paramount Chief George Bockarie Torto (111) four senior executive members have been sacked. The undated release names the four as Vice Chairman Alhaji Kondeh aka Alhaji Yengema, Secretary General Pecos Lamin, the PRO Mohamed Komba and the welfare officer Sahr James.
A sport presenter on SLBC, Abu Sillah has been appointed PRO, while Munya Kanneh a former captain of the club becomes the Welfare officer.
The release says that several factors led to the dismissals chiefly the “continuous humiliation” of the club chairman and other stakeholders in the district, and statements attributed to the officials on radio stations in which they allegedly threatened to impeach the chairman from office.
They had also allegedly said that they “do not recognise Kono District Football Association (KDFA) as their immediate boss” which the release refers to as “lawlessness, disrespectful and inciting.”
The chairman described KDFA as the “supreme body of football clubs in the district including the diamond stars.”
The Chairman of Diamond Stars’ Fan Club has endorsed the sackings in a press release.
But speaking to Politico the sacked PRO Mohamed Komba dismissed the sackings insisting they were still the substantive holders of their positions. “We do not honour the sack and we are still the substantive executive members of the club,” he said. He also denied any wrongdoing.
The manager of the club, PC Paul Gabba Saquee V told Politico that he did not honour the sacking of the four men insisting that they remained in office and would be receiving their salaries from management. He accused the club chairman of “dictatorship” adding that he took the decision “unilaterally without the knowledge of the other paramount chiefs and the sponsors of the club.”
Chief Saquee alleged that the sacking of the four men emanated from the just concluded SLAFA elections. He said the chairman unilaterally threw his support behind Rodney Michael to boycott the Premier League.
The main sponsors of the club, OCTEA Koidu Limited declined to comment on the matter. The president of the company, Ibrahim Sorie Kamara told Politico “it is internal and we believe they will go on the drawing board to settle their differences.”
Asked if they would suspend sponsorship until the differences were resolved, Kamara said “the matter is too premature” for any such decision.
Politico 03/08/13
