By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Sierra Leone Football Association has vowed to continue with it plans to increase the number of participants in the Sierra Leone Premier League from 14 to 16 teams. This fresh commitment comes amidst controversy whether they used the right procedure to add two more teams to the top tier league.
Last week the FA released a statement that the league will be expanded to accommodate 16 teams. The statement further went on to specifically single out the Northern region to play for the extra two spots.
Ibrahim Kamara, Media and Marketing Officer at the FA tried to justify the FA’s decision by explaining to Politico the need for the expansion and the justification of the procedure they used.
“Basically, it’s for national inclusion so that every region is represented at the end of the day in the top tier league. Before now all other regions have representatives in the league. A region as big as the North didn’t have any,” Kamara said.
He further explained: “This decision is actually in line with what is interpreted in the Sierra Leone Football Association constitution. Article 34 to be precise makes it really clearly that the only body that has got the authority and the right to determine the number of teams in any competition organized under the SLFA is the executive committee.”
So far, the decision to expand the league is not the problem, delegates of the FA say the problem is with the procedure. The Acting Secretary General of FC Kallon, one of the 14 Premier League clubs, Alhaji Komba told Politico that the addition of teams cannot be decided by the executive committee alone considering the ripple effect it has on the structure of the FA and the impact on future elections.
“There are 35 members of SLFA and 47 delegates so the moment you say you will promote these two teams without any due process means you are increasing the number of delegates as provided for in the SLFA statutes to 49 then you should increase the number of members to 37. That tells you straight away that it has congress mandate and you should not do it on your own. Because to increase the number of delegates and members of the SLFA only congress can give that mandate, not even the executive committee,” Komba explained.
“They should have informed us through congress. Call congress just for this purpose, involve the membership,” he added.
The move is set to put football stakeholders and the FA yet again on a collision course. Northern region is one among the two regions that did not play any Division league despite cash support from the Sierra Leone Premier League Board. The decision to select the Northern region to take up the two spaces is at best baffling to many. Komba said consideration should have been given at least to regions whose competition are either ongoing or have concluded.
“If there would have been any consideration you have the South that is currently playing Division 1, you have the West that have just concluded a very competitive Division one you didn’t consider them. Why consider Northern region when they didn’t play division league at all?” he said.
However, Kamara said this decision is part of a new wave of fresh decisions that the FA is taking, considering their legitimacy.
“This was when the legitimate SLFA was set aside. It is no secret that those who were here were just there. Basically, all of what they did stands unrecognized. We are starting things afresh.”
Western Area just completed their Division One competition and teams have qualified for the playoffs. Kamara said, those teams would have to wait at least one more season.
“Sadly, they are going to have to wait. Now we are coming to start this edition of Sierra Leone Premier League. In the next edition two teams are going to relegate and two teams will promote,” he said.
Kamara added: “People have to note that this is not the normal promotion of teams and relegation of teams. The normal promotion and relegation of teams, that is where you have the national Division 1 playoff. This is to start afresh.”
The new season is set to start in October this year. This situation can develop to a standoff between clubs and the FA. Komba said, they as club executives are concerned about the precedent the FA is setting.
“For us it is wrong, it is not correct, it is unacceptable. This is a bad precedent that we don’t want to start with at all. We all came here through our playing strength. So, we are concerned. Call for the respective regions to play their Division 1 and get a national playoff.”
In the Northern region, it is not clear yet how many teams will take part in the playoffs. A sport journalist in the region, Papa Bangura said the regional FA will have to make the determination in the coming weeks. However, he said in the regional headquarter, Bombali ,at least four teams are eligible to take part in the playoffs; Wusum Stars, Bombali Shebora, Annex FC and Area Best.
“They have been waiting for this for a long time. Most of the teams are now engaged in friendly matches,” Bangura described the atmosphere around the clubs in a telephone interview.
“The momentum is high,” he added.
© 2019 Politico Online
