SLFA awaits LFA over venue

Since the arrival of the deadly Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone the country’s Football Association put a halt on the national football league and all other football related issues until the virus has been brought under control, but they did not withdraw the National team Leone Stars, U20, U23, and the CHAN home based team from not taking part in their respective competitions. They were only restricted from playing all their home games away from home due to the World Health Organization (WHO) ban placed on the country as a way to break the chain of transmission of the deadly Ebola virus in Sierra Leone.

Since then all national teams representing Sierra Leone play all their return leg matches away from home, most assuredly in the same country where the first leg do took place. As a result of that, this has affected the National Teams so badly to produce good results, which has been a talking point in the country among football stakeholders and supporters.

Now the National Team, the Leone Stars is to play Ivory Coast the first week of September, but this time the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) want to make some changes to get a specific venue within West Africa were the National Team will be playing all the their home matches at that venue. The first approach the FA has made has been to the Liberia Football Association (LFA), however, LFA has not yet granted the request but it looks most likely they will render the request based upon bilateral relations between both countries.

According to analysis from stakeholders and pundits about the venue majority has welcomed the idea by the FA for the very first time with Liberia hosting all Leone Stars home matches, it will be a boost for us and the team taking into consideration the two countries do have all features in common. This will create a way wherein Sierra Leoneans back home will travel to support the team back up with the rest of Sierra Leoneans residing in Liberia.

Another issue is that since Leone Stars were playing all their home games on their various opponent grounds, the match attendance fee has been a hurdle for the FA. After spending a huge budget on the national team they have not even recovered such expenses for all fixtures they have played since the Ebola virus ban on the country, the worst was with Congo DR when Leone Stars hosted them in their own country after the match it was said that they received the sum of $50,000 which is a very provocative amount, since then the amount has been fluctuating. With Liberia giving us their venue, will we at least be able to put this issue under control a little.

“Playing against Ivory Coast for the third time, we need a big shout to run them down this time,” said Kemoh Sesay, a popular sports journalist in Sierra Leone.

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