By Alpha Abu
The decision to exonerate popular football administrator and philanthropist Rodney Michael and six other persons of allegations linked to ‘’unpatriotic conduct “and “match- fixing’’, has been well received by people who want to see the game of football resume and flourish in a civil and well administered way. Fifteen men were slammed with a punishment, the reasons which remain blurred and incomprehensible to this very day. The seven are now cleared of any breaching of the laws of the game, thanks to the Ethics Committee of the FA. The dark clouds that hung over the very existence of Michael and the six others for years, would now duly disappear as they were orchestrated and machinated by people, and should never have hovered around them in the first place. They endured pain, shame and slur on their reputation for a sport they have lived for the most part of their lives, all unjustly. They carried an albatross not of their making, but as they say, all is well that ends well. Michael in particular was pure class in his immediate social media message reaction, following the Ethics Committee decision and his official statement afterwards. Some of us may not have even put a face to the name Alphan Koker et al but they do echo football in our ears. It would be wise for the Committee to thoroughly examine as well, the case of the other seven or so. They need to know what there is, for them. We all need a closure to a matter that damaged the reputation of Sierra Leone football administration. The men who are absolved of any wrong doing do not have to harbor any bitterness as in the true spirit of sports in general, there is no adversary but opponent. They have to move on. The Ethics Committee should be applauded for doing a good work.
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