By Isaac Massaquoi
All those who like me, believe that the agreement between Isha Johansen and Mohamed Kallon to "work together in the name of patriotism for the furtherance of football in Sierra Leone with sincerity of purpose" after that very damaging row recently, will unravel soon, please step forward.
As far as I am concerned, the deal brokered by Public Affairs minister Kemoh Sesay only achieved one thing - "Mrs. Isha Johansen and Mohamed Kallon have resolved to stay off legal action in relation to the matter..." Kemoh Sesay must have gone home last weekend pleased with himself having pulled off a task that seemed impossible only a few hours before the press release was issued. I am sure the minister went into the discussions to genuinely deal with the problem and put football on the rails again. But alas!
I am afraid to say to brother Kemoh that his ministry's mandate, "to intervene in socio-political conflict in the most objective manner aimed at building and consolidating the peace, promoting harmony amongst members of the public and also in supporting and promoting good governance", is far from being met. Yes, we have peace now, at least nobody is being insulted, slapped or detained but the conditions on the ground are totally unfavorable to "building and consolidating the peace..."
First of all, the belief that the Kallon Johansen affair was all about them is wrong. This was about the game of football being brought into disrepute. Football is the most popular sport in this country and there are many fans who feel let down by the whole affair and generally by the way the game is administered in Sierra Leone. So while the two may have met in a room somewhere and agreed to live happily ever after, it should not be understood as the end of the saga. Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew apologised without delay and publicly indeed, after head-butting a player from an opposing team. But those who follow the English Premier League know that his club fined him a significant amount of money even before the Football Association slammed a seven-game ban on him, with three being stadium bans.
I can pinpoint more than a dozen cases of players and officials charged or banned for violent conduct on and off the field of play. There is passion running through football but the rules are so rigid that it is never allowed to boil over as happened at the football academy between Kallon and Johansen.
Please don't have to take me seriously but I am afraid, very afraid that the peace cannot be "consolidated" because the SLFA appears to have been denied the opportunity to use the structures created by their constitution to deal with the questions raised by the alleged insults and slapping.
I never expected any of the people at the center of the row to be thrown into prison. The trial would have lasted beyond the presidency of Isha Johansen. There would have been no conclusion in fact. We have seen cases of this nature before. They just die a natural death.
This is certainly not for Kemoh Sesay anymore because like a fireman man, he has managed to put out the blaze that was threatening to engulf the beautiful game. It is now time for the so-called football stakeholders to stop the hypocrisy and factional bickering and get to the heart of the problems confronting the SLFA.
I understand all the polarisation that occurred at the time of the "election" that brought Isha Johansen to power. But since those elections, a lot has happened at the SLFA to suggest that no genuine attempt has been made to reconcile the parties that so bitterly disagreed with each other last August to the extent that for the first time ever in the history of the SLFA, the Inspector General of police had to personally oversee the conduct of the "election".
A few of those who are today running to the constitution, are the same people who provided justification for the type of flawed election that took place. Some of those at the heart of that elaborate denial of true democracy have today confessed their sins but they may need to plunge into the River Jordan to be sure of total cleansing. Look at what has happened at the SLFA since the "election", many have been sacked, other jobs are now on the line as the president consolidates power around herself.
As part of this settlement, I was hoping that Isha Johansen would have been compelled to call an extraordinary congress of football stakeholders. I am talking about the real stakeholders, not those manufactured on the steps of the police canteen at Kingtom. That congress would then properly establish all the judicial bodies provided for in the constitution. I honestly have no problems with the personalities on the current committees but I agree with those who argue that they were put into office unconstitutionally.
There is nothing difficult about setting up this extraordinary congress of forty-seven people just to establish these committees. Somebody, told me the other day that Isha Johnson would rather not have a congress because she fears impeachment proceedings would be instituted against her. That may be a genuine concern but I know that extraordinary meetings have a limited agenda so there is no chance of putting her impeachment on the kind of agenda I am talking about.
The SLFA says the national league would start soon. I welcome that but how would the SLFA deal with serious disturbances on the field involving footballers, managers and fans? Would they run to the 9th floor of Youyi building again? There is no point having a committee that nobody respects.
I have to say once again that I believe that minister Kemoh Sesay came into this with a genuinely heart. But there are two things I am worried about.
Isha Johnasen has never been her own person as far as running Sierra Leone football is concerned. Unless we don't want to be honest with ourselves but it's easy to recognise the role played by particularly sport minister Paul Kamara to bring her to power. Kamara abandoned all perceived political neutrality to actively support Isha Johansen in the last SLFA elections. Some of us had hoped that Johansen would have played down that blatant political interference in football matters by deliberately stirring her campaign away from the angry racial comments of Kamara clearly targeting Rodney Michael who will win any SLFA election in Sierra Leone, any day.
I would have dismissed what happened in the election to pass as ruthless politics aimed at getting power but because Isha Johansen has had to run to another government minister yet again to heal a minor headache, I have to say I am very worried. Where will this end?
How can Isha Johansen run football when she sees the most powerful body in football administration as some devil poised to devour her administration. It's like President Koroma refusing to deal with parliament because there are opposition politicians sitting there. It will not work. Unless Sierra Leone was some North Korea.
I am very surprised, even disappointed that Kallon did not insist or make any behind -the -scenes settlement conditional on congress being immediately called to set up those important judicial bodies in line with the constitution to make an important statement about the democratic credentials of the SLFA. There are no indications from my sources at the talks that he held that line at any point.
When minister Dennis Bright who was minister of sport in the late Tejan Kabbah's government disbanded the SLFA executive under the leadership of Nahim Khadi, the government did not allow the action to stand eventhough it was clear that Khadi's administration was very corrupt and riddled with infighting. Political interference is wrong.
And to end on this constant refrain of peace, peace, peace, Rodney Michael told me that "until there is an admission of guilt and wrong doing, from which we can build and move forward, there will be no peace".
I agree with him.
(C) Politico 18/03/14
