SHAMBOLIC MARKETING OF NATIONAL TEAM JERSEY FOR AfCON
We have to say from the outset that it will never be possible for the SLFA to have total control over the sale of our national team’s replica shirts as we prepare for AfCON in Cameroon starting in a matter of weeks now. These days with the technology to produce such things in large quantities in relatively short time and the aggressive nature of people looking for that extra cash, it is a mission impossible for the SLFA to try to monopolize the business. What we can say however is that the whole marketing thing could have been handled in a better and more dignified way than what we are witnessing at the moment.
The marketing of those replica shirts is now in grave danger of being used for political purposes. When our team qualified for AfCON by beating Benin next door in Conakry, they were received by the whole country – all the unnecessary political divisions we are made to live with in this country were put to one side as the good people of this country poured out in their hundreds of thousands to welcome our team home.
All Sierra Leoneans are hoping that trend would continue so any attempt to politicize those replica shirts would easily divide the country. We have seen a few of those shirts now on sale with King Messi’s face plastered on them. We don’t think the face of politicians should be on those shirts. The political benefits of our team qualifying and doing well in Cameroon would fall where they would but we should not allow those shirts to be politicized. There are many famous national landmarks we can use.
The little tug of war between SLFA and the sports ministry over the quality, cost and marketing of the shirts is totally unnecessary. The SLFA wants to make a killing selling the shirts at the cost of a bag of rice while the ministry is trying to maximize participation by reducing the cost. Surely, this is a fight the ministry would win easily but why didn’t these two bodies coordinate well so that people are not put in the situation where they have to decide between buying a bag of rice to feed their family and buying a replica Leone Stars’ shirt.
Other people have now entered the game; producing and selling cheap varieties are on the streets. The SLFA with its constant fighting posture when it comes to dealing with the government is losing big money. This is clearly avoidable even at this last minute.
NO MONEY FOR 2ND ROUND OF SALONE PREMIER LEAGUE
Meanwhile we are hearing from very credible sources that the Premier League Board has no money in fact they are so broke that they are unable to run the second round of the Salone Premier League despite opening up the transfer window and announcing a date in January 2022 for the resumption of the league. Bo Rangers, current league leaders have significantly strengthened their team with good money in the hope of winning the league for the first time in their history with Babadi Kamara serving as the moving spirit behind it all.
We want to warn the SLFA not to even think about declaring that they cannot fund the SPL and hence ending things where we are now. It would be a monumental disgrace and nobody would predict the consequences for the SLFA. We are witnessing a league in which the teams have no idea what winning the competition means in terms of trophy and prize money. The PLB has no idea and the normally talkative SLFA is not saying a word in that direction. In those circumstances nothing stops us from saying there is nothing to look forward to.
On behalf of the good people of Sierra Leone, we call on the New Direction government to put money into the premier league. To us it makes no sense to handsomely fund the league two years ago and then allow it to die now with all the disastrous consequences for the young players and fans.
Maybe it’s not fair to criticize the marketing department of the SLFA because they probably don’t have the money, skills or institutional backing to properly market the SPL but the fact is the league is struggling because it’s badly marketed. It’s as if the SLFA has no interest in their only serious venture.
We urge the New Direction government not to put our money into the main accounts of the SLFA. We want the league money into the SPL account so it can be separately audited by AASL. We don’t want to see those unusual withdrawals we reported on recently.
CELEBRITY WEDDING - MUSA TOMBO TAKES A WIFE IN BO
Musa Noah Kamara, famously called Musa Tombo appears to have found a home in Bo. He is having the time of his life. He scores goals for the local team and he has found himself a wife named Hawa. Hawa likes being on social media and she would always pull her normally shy football star husband along. A celebrity wedding took place last week in the second capital under the aegis of Bo Rangers boss Babadi Kamara. We wish the couple all the very best in their new life.
Musa Tombo gets goals, no doubt about that but it’s what he does outside the Salone Premier League bubble that brought him to the attention of the good people of Sierra Leone. He traveled twice to Scandinavia to play international football only to return home controversially. Musa excuses himself from camp with the national team or his club side only to be found playing in small unrecognized roadside leagues around Freetown.
The whole nation now expects this young powerful Lukaku type striker to end the drama around himself and advance his football career and his new family life at the same time.
LAJ IN POLICE NET: WAS THE FIVE MILLION LEONE RANSOM PAID?
We’ve seen pictures of LAJ under arrest hours after the police declared him wanted and put a FIVE MILLION LEONE bounty on his head for a brutal and reckless social media attack on our colleague ASMA JAMES of Radio Democracy 98.1
We continue to follow the lead of our organization – Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, SLAJ in supporting our respectable colleague who has had to suffer serious reputational damage for merely doing her job of reporting the news.
The police know what to do but we serve notice that the whole media is monitoring this case until we reach the courts. We will then shift our focus to the judiciary. We will attend and report on all the twists and turns in that courtroom until justice is done. ASMA JAMES does not deserve what LAJ did to her.
Just a quick one for the police: Did Sovula actually pay the FIVE MILLION LEONE ransom or the police found LAJ using their normal networks? We just want to be clear about that.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (20/12/21)
