By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Sierra Leone Football Association has donated Le656 million to clubs to cushion the effect of the on-going financial difficulties occasioned by the the Coronavirus pandemic.
The stimulus package was announced last week Friday through a press statement.
Clubs in the country depend heavily on gate taking; with football halted in the country that source of funding has now dried up.
“Le 406 million will go to 14 Premier League clubs and Le250 million will go to five regional associations to be spread out and allocated to the respective lower division clubs (Division 1 and 2),” the statement from the FA said.
An additional Le60 million, separate from the Le656 million, was also donated to the Coaches Association, Referees Associations and Veterans, each group receiving Le20 million.
The Western Area Football Association (WAFA) is one of the five regional bodies that benefitted from the FA’s goodwill. They received Le50 million to distribute to Division 1 and 2 clubs in the region.
The Public Relations Officer of WAFA, David Turner, said the money couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It’s a start that will help the players and the management to provide at least food for their players. We were not expecting this. This is a good gesture,” Turner said.
WAFA has already distributed their funds to more than 50 teams across different divisions.
Le1 million was distributed to each of the 24 Division 1 teams. Some of the 39 clubs in the Division 2 received Le500, 000, whiles others received Le 250,000.
Turner said eight female teams also received Le500, 000 each.
Anti-Drugs Strikers is one of the 14 Premier League clubs that benefitted from the Le406 million that was given by the FA. Chairman of the club, Ibrahim Kalokoh, said his club received Le30 million.
Kalokoh praised the SLFA’s move but warned that the situation could be worse if football didn’t resume soon.
“This is a good gesture. We have been able to pay the players and club officials this month with what we received. This is a step in the right direction,” Kalokoh said.
“But Le30 million is just a month salary for us. If football doesn’t get back to normal, the situation could be bad for clubs,” he added.
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