By Kemoh Sesay
The Central One Football Association COFA Inter-community League has been slated for January 17.
The tournament, which began in 2001, is an annual event which attracts a large number of participation from communities within the western area. It is by far Sierra Leone`s most watched local league.
It initially started with sixteen communities were as those communities were drawn within central and western Freetown. But now teams come from as far as Waterloo and surroundings.
The competition is open to all players, including professionals playing abroad. This is a major reason why the league is so popular.
Over the past years COFA has dominated mini-leagues in the country especially when it comes to inter-community league. A major factor for that dominance is the inconsistency and eventual down fall of the country’s top league, the Salone Premier League.
According Sammah Sesay, Chairman of COFA, the association has maintained its credibility due largely to how it makes decision.
“We have guiding principles that are laid down which have been communicated to all communities before playing their matches… if a club or community brings the game into disrepute we have no place for that community in our competition,” he said in an interview with Politico Sports.
“Indefinite suspension will be levied against that club as it will also affected that community in our subsequent competitions,’’ Sesay added.
He attributed their successes to the disciplinary measures in place.
Sesay went on to say that this season’s league will involve 43 communities covering both Western Rural and Western Urban districts.
The competition was not held in 2015 due to the Ebola outbreak.
The opening match of the 2016 edition on Sunday 17 January will be between the defending champions, Magazine Community, and Bambra Town community. Sesay assured that all modalities have been put in place in terms of security as the police and the military personnel were going to be in full control in terms of security.
COFA’s Organizing Secretary, Yapo Sillah, said enough seating had been provided for fans who would make their way to the Parade Grounds. He also said they had put a stop to all bottle drinks entering the football field, denying hooligans from accessing a common weapon when violence breakout.
But the downside of the tournament is that the organizers are yet to secure any sponsors.
“We have to start the league, along the way we are hoping to get sponsorship as we have written letters to some commercial institutions which have given their consent to help us,” said Yapo.
(C) Politico 13/01/16
