By Kemoh Sesay
The acting General Secretary of the Sierra Leone Football Association Abdul RahmanSwaray says all candidates in the forth-coming elections would appear before the FIFA Normalisation Committee today to be screened to determine their eligibility to participate in the elections.
Swaray described the screening as "an integrity test based on FIFA regulations, SLFA rules and possible petitions from members of the football family and the wider public".
Asked whether this process could lead to disqualifications, the SLFA General Secretary replied, "It's a possibility".
The screening is taking place only days after Sport Minister Paul Kamara called for a leading contender in the SLFA elections Rodney Micheal and four other candidates allied to his campaign to be disqualified from the race.
Speaking on two local radio stations, Eagle FM and Radio Kalleone, Kamara said Mohamed Kallon, FodayTuray, IdrissaMagoTarawallie and hot presidentialfavorite, Rodney Michael should be thrown out of the elective congress. He said, “I have made my position clear to the Normalization Committee that the four of them should not be allowed to contest... if they are allowed to run, I will nullify the elections and wait for FIFA. How can we allow drug addicts and gamblers to run a reputable institution like the SLFA? I will take drastic steps against members of the Normalization Committee if they defy my orders”.
Kamara argued that “I'm a government Minister and whatever decision I take reflects the mood of the government. Mohamed Kallon is a drug addict and a corrupt individual while FodayTuray and Rodney Michael are notorious gamblers”.
Meanwhile the head of media operations for the Rodney Michael campaign SirajinRollings-Kamara described the minister's comments as "unfortunate". He dismissed the accusations as the "latest failed attempt by minister Kamara to derail their campaign". He said his campaign would address the media on Wednesday on all issues regarding their bid for various positions in the SLFA.
