By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Ministry of Sports have expressed dissatisfaction over the appointment of Ghanaian born Sellas Tetteh as the coach of Leone Stars.
In a press statement dated Wednesday, 14 August, the ministry accused FA officials of rigging the interview process and hastily appointing Tetteh without the conclusion of the process.
“The report of the Ministry’s representatives also observed that representatives of the Sierra Leone Football Association on the interview panel came with a premeditated mind of appointing the said (Sellas Tetteh) coach,” the statement reads.
Tetteh’s appointment was announced on Tuesday evening by the FA. His appointment came following almost a week long process of interviewing a total of 12 candidates for the job, 7 of them locals.
The FA has the responsibility of appointing coaches for all levels of the national team. The government, through the Ministry of Sports, have the responsibility to pay them.
The process of hiring was done in consultation with the Ministry of Sports. They were represented on the interview panel by the Director of Sports, Dr Kenneth Brima and the Permanent Secretary, Adikali Samura.
The statement from the ministry shows the height of their discontent with the process. Reports over the week suggest that the ministry were pushing for a local coach to be hired, with East End Lions coach John Keister as the favorite.
It is not clear where this standoff will leave Tetteh. Tetteh is expected to take his post on Thursday.
The Ministry have gone further to say they do not recognize him as the coach.
“The Ministry does not recognize Sellas Tetteh as the Head Coach of the Sierra Leone National A Team because the process was incomplete,” it said.
It added: “The Ministry of Sports wants to assure all Sierra Leoneans that the government is committed to supporting sports in the country and the process of appointing the National Team A coach will soon come to conclusion.”
Whiles there is no end in sight over this latest tension between the FA and the Ministry of Sports, the country is less than a month away from a crucial World Cup preliminary qualifier against Liberia.
© 2019 Politico Online
