ISSUES AROUND THE BIO-KKY MEETING IN KAMBIA
NGC people were quick to try to downplay the significance of the meeting between their leader and Principal in Kambia last week. They were responding to reports from mostly ruling party guys on social media about the imminent return of KKY to the Green Movement. In some traditional ceremony in the country home of the Yumkella clan in Kychom, Principal asked KKY to return to his late father’s party and work for victory in 2023. They shared kola nuts and water – traditional symbols of life and togetherness. There was jubilation in the rank and file of the Green Movement.
For a while it appeared as if the NGC were resigned to losing their only electoral asset. Then there was a social media response by the BRIGHTEST MAN. He told the world KKY would stay in the NGC as there was zero chance of him leaving. Meanwhile KKY himself had directly responded to Principal’s call by saying Ar Hol Word. When somebody says this in Sierra Leone they simply mean I have heard what you say, let me think about it and I will get back to you. In such a situation, the reply could go both ways. It is the possibility of things going the Green way that the BRIGHTEST MAN and some other NGC members tried to kill that day. For now it appears as if the issue is off the agenda for national conversation but we shouldn’t fool ourselves about the things that happen in politics. Let’s just consider a few issues.
1. We don’t know about the Kychom leg of Principal’s trip to Kambia district. That trip was widely publicized; in fact it was postponed by a week. So the whole country was aware of this trip which was also significant because newly-elected paramount chiefs from across the country were going to receive the staff of office there. Like all of us KKY knew Principal would be in his home district.
2. The road from Kambia town to Kychom is short and rugged but we understand the SLRA did what they call re-gravelling on that road ahead of the visit. Did KKY not at that point suspect that Principal would pay a flying visit to his place?
3. KKY said he went home because he heard that Principal would be there. That may be true and we don’t want to open big arguments with a respectable citizen but we just have this feeling that with his extensive contacts in the Green Movement, we suspect he may have a bit more detail about that visit and the purpose, including that traditional ceremony involving his brother and a few other issues.
4. We can only imagine the kind of conversations now taking place inside the NGC. After that public denial some would surely be asking further questions and in fact asking about a PLAN B in case KKY moves to the Green corner in the coming weeks. BRIGHTEST MAN should stop the talking and start thinking about his role in that PLAN B.
THE STADIUM IS CLOSED NOW SO LET THE JOB BEGIN
Assuming things go as planned it would take TWO YEARS before crowds returned to the Siaka Steven Stadium for any major event. The facility has been handed over to a Chinese company for rehabilitation. The Chinese work really hard and with a secure 40 million US dollar budget we can argue that they might even finish the job before the stipulated time. We wish them all the very best.
Many people are going to miss the place for different reasons:
FOOTBALL SPECTATORS: We understand that the national league has already shifted to nondescript playing grounds in Freetown and some reasonably good ones up country. Many spectators actually go to that stadium not for the quality of the football but to meet people and have a jolly good conversation on match days. All of that is gone now. Only the real diehards would now travel across the country at weekends to watch the matches. As things stand now, only Bo Rangers can inspire their fans to spend some money to watch them play. A few other clubs would have to bus their supporters to match venues outside Freetown. The jury is also still out on how much enthusiasm the matches would generate in those host communities. That is very important for the finances of the clubs.
ALCOHOL JOINTS AND CAR WASH BOYS: About half a dozen alcohol joints has sprung up at the entrance to certain stands and the owners were doing really good business whether on a match day or not. Those ones are in deep trouble now. The Chinese workers are not going to tolerate the idea of people running night clubs in their works yard. The risk of people being hurt of things being stolen from their store is too high to take. The same goes for those car wash boys who constantly hang around the presidential stands to pretend to be cleaning visitor’s cars without being asked to do so. It’s time for them to go and stop stealing a living from fans who only give the cash to stop them from breaking into their vehicles. It has nothing to do with any cleaning job they do.
FOOD SELLERS AND SHAMELESS BAGGARS: We really feel sorry for a few women who sell food inside the stands on match days. They provide a vital service and make good cash. They now have to look for new market centers. Those are the kinds of people who would pray for the job to be finished long before the two year period. We hope they move quickly to the other playing grounds in Freetown and be prepared for the dangers of doing business in those places. For example, they would face competition from other people who are well established on the ground, they would also face sporadic acts of violence and criminal activities that are not part of their worries at the national stadium.
As for those BEGGARS, many fans would feel happy to be rid of them. They are shameless and persistent. Some have been doing the same thing since we started observing them more than FIVE years ago. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
SLFA ETHICS BOARD FIGHTS IN VAIN TO FACE IT
We woke one morning to news that the so-called Ethics Board of the SLFA had suspended the controversial General Secretary of the SLFA from office for failing to provide the cash and other logistics needed to make the Board functional. In the days leading to this strange decision by a much discredited board, the Executive Committee of the SLFA itself was putting finishing touches to its own plan to push Chris Kamara out on leave and then sack him.
Our sources inside the EXCO were absolutely sure the man who thrives in controversy would be gone before the end of February. As it turned out, Kamara ran to the Queen and the Queen quickly called up her clones in the EXCO and gave contrary instructions. Kamara ignored the Ethics Board and the hostage SLFA boss endorsed his action.
Many big names in football administration criticized the Ethics Board for giving themselves fake powers and acting only in their own interests. They say it was all about money, not a concern for people suffering reputational damage because of the bogus decisions of the Ethics Board. The Board was shamed when CAS easily overturned their clueless decision to throw Rodney Michael out of the SLFA presidential race.
Now the badly bruised Ethics Board has reversed their own suspension of Kamara saying they received letters explaining this and that. What is this troubled board really telling us?
1. For the board to shout all over the place about being treated with contempt and then send the SLFA General Secretary home only to return after a week to say they had dropped their action because they had received a letter saying there was no money in the FA is just laughable. They took that action with their eyes wide open and they knew that Queen who put them there would destroy them with the wave of a hand.
2. So the Ethics Board should now go ahead and meet so they can clear the names of decent Sierra Leoneans while waiting for the next portion of FIFA money because the allocation that came in recently is gone. The Ethics Board’s money will be paid later. Go ahead and clear the names of innocent people.
3. The Ethics Board should be ashamed of themselves because their suspension notice was ignored and they had zero legs to stand on. Why they didn’t all resign a day after Kamara told them to go to hell remains a mystery to us.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (02/03/22)
