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The newly elected President of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), Babadi Kamara, has taken office amid a turbulent atmosphere marked by controversy, legal disputes, and deep division among stakeholders.
From the outset, Kamara’s victory has been overshadowed by claims of irregularities. One of the presidential contenders, Aminata Bangura, publicly voiced her dissatisfaction, arguing that the procedures followed during the Ordinary Congress were unconstitutional. Speaking on Epic Radio, she revealed plans to appeal the outcome to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), insisting that the process violated SLFA’s own constitutional provisions.
According to SLFA rules, only the President is permitted to preside over the Ordinary Congress. However, in the absence of the President, the Vice President may assume this role. This became a major point of contention, as neither the outgoing President nor Vice President attended the Congress. Consequently, many officials, including the Secretary-General of Wilberforce Strikers FC, questioned the legitimacy of the event. In fact, Wilberforce FC was reportedly preparing a petition to CAS to nullify the results.
The drama began even before the Congress convened. On August 2, 2025, at the Gateway Hotel in Lungi, the SLFA Ethics Committee barred both Thomas Daddy Brima and Aminata Bangura from contesting the presidency. Undeterred, the two candidates filed for an injunction to stop the Congress. Though the High Court in Freetown dismissed their request, CAS later overturned the Committee’s decision, allowing Bangura to contest.
The Congress itself was delayed by over four hours due to mounting tension and absence of key figures. Meanwhile, a parallel congress allegedly held at Radisson Blu escalated the crisis further, sparking violence and resulting in the boycott of the main Congress by former President Brima.
Observers argue that the Radisson Blu event was the launching ground for a plot to sideline Brima—a theory gaining traction among critics. Regardless of its origin, the result has been a fractured football community.
As Babadi Kamara takes the reins, he faces the monumental task of uniting a divided football family. To lead effectively, he must embrace a strategy grounded in inclusion, transparency, and consensus-building. Those who feel disenfranchised or skeptical of the electoral process should not be ignored. Instead, Kamara must work to bring all voices to the table.
Football in Sierra Leone deserves leadership that fosters growth, integrity, and unity. Only through collective effort can the game truly flourish.
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