By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Sierra Leone Football Association has announced that it has donated Le500million to the newly constituted Premier League Board (PLB).
According to a press release on Monday, the FA said the donation is a “funding support towards the commencement of the official Sierra Leone Premier League.”
The FA had estimated that the PLB will need around Le 2.7 billion to run this year’s league. Last year the Government of Sierra Leone sponsored the league by providing Le3.5billion of funds in two installments for the Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai-led PLB to restart a moribund Premier League.
According to the FA’s press statement, President Isha Johansen communicated the decision to the new PLB Chair, Alieu Vandi Koroma, on the phone, through which she assured him of SLFA’s “unflinching support towards ensuring that a successful and fully recognized SLFA Premier League is conducted by the new body.”
PLB just concluded their first meeting last week. They are yet to make any official statement as to how much more they will need to raise for the league to start.
Apart from the financial support, the FA also committed their support to help the PLB to lobby corporate houses to sponsor the league.
An official date for the start of the new season is yet to be announced, three months after the end of the 2018/2019 season.
© 2019 Politico Online
