By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) will be back in court on Friday to defend their decision to hold a playoff exclusively for the Northern region to fill two new Premier League spots.
The decision to organize playoffs exclusively for teams in the Northern region was announced by the FA in July and it had since provoked condemnation from regions that have already been waiting in que to get to the Premier League. The FA’s decision prompted four members of the FA to move forward with a lawsuit against the country’s football body.
Joseph Mbogba, Tamba Gbetuwa, Mohamed Belloh Yilla and Augustine Kambo all are part of a lawsuit that has since been lodged in the High Court. On Tuesday, the presiding judge Justice Komba Kamanda granted an injunction to halt the final rounds of the playoffs that were scheduled to start on Wednesday, 24th September.
A total of 10 teams were expected to assemble in Makeni and Port Loko to play for the two available premier league spots. That process has now been suspended until the court rules otherwise.
On Tuesday, the lawyer representing the FA, Salmata Bah requested for at least two days to file documentations that show the complainants are not in the capacity to bring such charges against the FA.
The lawyer representing the complainants, Augustine Sengbeh Marrah argued on Tuesday that it was only fair for the court to grant the injunction on the day, since the proper playoffs were scheduled to start the following day.
The case is expected to generate huge interest among football stakeholders in the country. The start of the Premier League and the number of teams to participate in it may hinge on the outcome of this case.
© 2019 Politico Online
