SLFA NIGHTMARE MIGHT FINALLY END INAPRIL 2020
The MORE TIME aspirations of the people running our football has been dashed against a hard rock and damaged, most certainly by FIFA. The idea that by some cunning manipulation the SLFA will continuously hold back, even kill off political and administrative accountability to their members is in tatters.
We finally have the dates for three congresses of the SLFA with the last one absolutely paving the way for the queen to be thrown out of office for running our football to the ground. There is no other way to explain how she’s ran this very important organization.
She has just SACKED the man who organized the most powerful premier league in the recent history of Sierra Leone football. The only reason Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai was kicked out is because the queen was told the young lawyer will run to become the next president of the SLFA.
So we can understand why she acted now. If Saffa Abdulai was allowed to run the league again, his popularity will be such that the majority of the delegates will simply collapse into his hands. Or public backing for him would be so strong that even those corrupt delegates who sell their votes all the time would think twice because thousands of fans would be waiting outside the hall to greet them.
Anyway, we have no record of Saffa Abdulai ever putting himself forward for the SLFA top job and in any case we have no problem with anybody seeking high office for which they are qualified. We are not living in North Korea.
So back to the dates and our comments on those events and let’s go step by step.
First Ordinary Congress – 6th and 7th December
According to official documents this congress is for the acceptance of the Revised FIFA Code of Ethics. We are not sure they need a whole congress just for this purpose. The members of the SLFA should make sure they monitor this process very well from the development of the agenda to correcting the minutes of the proceedings. They should take nothing for granted because a simple process of holding a meeting and going home may prove a mighty Trojan horse used to prepare the way for the disqualification of the most popular candidates for the SLFA presidency. Since our SLFA is such a slave to FIFA, how long would it take to go into a hall and sign up to one of the books from FIFA’s New Testament? We urge the delegates to ensure that they include other items on the agenda so this SLFA is finally made to recognize its human nature. They must be accountable.
Second Ordinary Congress – 31st January – 1st February
This is perhaps the most crucial congress because this where the Electoral and Appeals committees will be appointed by the delegates. If this process goes wrong in terms of people with a compromised integrity being put into those electoral bodies we will end up with what the so-called Normalization Committee brought us the last time which landed us where we are now. We remember how certified delegates who decided to boycott the congress were quickly replaced by men from nowhere. The way to ensure that good Sierra Leoneans serve in those bodies is to properly scrutinize every name without being too cynical or thinking there was a perfect individual anywhere in the world.
In drawing up their terms of reference, please watch the role of the secretariat in all the electoral processes. Any misdirection from that secretariat could lead to candidates being disqualified and the whole process being thrown into chaos once again.
Third Ordinary Congress (Elective Congress) 17th and 18th April
The only thing that is certain at this congress is that the queen will be out of office by the evening of the 18th of April 2020. She knows that. She was quietly hoping this day never came but now we know that FIFA compelled her and her rubber stamp Executive Committee to finally face their members in a congress.
There will be some food and booze but the delegates must make sure they don’t booze too much because the opportunity is finally her bring peace to the SLFA and begin the rebuilding process of Sierra Leone Football. All delegates must not accept bribes. In fact, we are pleading for the ACC to be invited to observe the last twenty four hours of the congress. This is no longer an SLFA in-house matter. The whole nation is directly involved and we will not allow any delegate to betray our confidence and destroy our beautiful game.
WHY SO MUCH VIOLENCE AT COFA YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE?
This is not the first time we are raising concern about violence at the Central One Football Association football league. The truth is we are not the only people talking about this. The situation has gone so bad that recently COFA had to take one of its normal fixtures to the national stadium. In the past they only did that for the final match to give more people a chance to see youth football at its best and of course to maximize revenue.
Even when the organizers took the recent match to the stadium there was appalling violence leading to parts of the stadium being damaged. This cannot be allowed to continue. And partly we blame COFA for not doing enough to decisively deal with mindless violence at what is supposed to be a showpiece of young football talent in our small and largely depressed communities.
We advance the following as factors responsible for violence breaking out at COFA matches.
1. When presented with an opportunity like the latest one COFA has woefully failed to act against the guilty party. Why haven’t they expelled certain communities for three to five years for example? Why haven’t they banned some violent individuals who are known trouble makers from participating in COFA leagues either as players or officials? This is very possible under the laws of Sierra Leone.
2. How thorough is the security assessment done at COFA matches? How involved are the police in all of the security arrangements? COFA can’t continue opening people’s lives and properties to risk every time their league is on. Surely they must take some responsibility.
3. Why do we still have Premier League players participating in that COFA league? The argument that they leave in those communities is unacceptable. We can’t call it youth football for the identification and development of new talent and then include players who have spent years in the premier league. In fact, many do not live in the communities they represent. They are mercenaries. This is the main source of all the tension.
4. COFA is prioritizing money over talent development and public safety. They can make all the money in the world but we should never allow them to compromise our safety by assembling criminals at football matches to damage public property. Totally unacceptable!
5. The next time we experience any violence at COFA matches we will hold the police personally responsible. They cannot continue to be granting clearance for this league that easily turns violent to our disadvantage and then pretend everything is normal. We are not amused.
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