By Andrew Warshaw
December 23 – The president of Sierra Leone’s football association has come out fighting against those she says are unlawfully plotting to force her out of office with an attempted coup.
Isha Johansen is one of the few women to lead a federation anywhere in world football and says she has the backing of FIFA after rival officials conducted a weekend teleconference that set up an interim body to run the game.
Johansen’s executive committee was said to have been dissolved following deliberations between members of the SLFA and some Premier League clubs who established a nine-man interim body to conduct affairs until elections are held in June 2015 and decided to lift suspensions of all players and officials accused of match-fixing five months ago.
The discussions are understood to have been held via teleconference after Sierra Leone authorities refused them permission to meet because of the ongoing fight against the Ebola virus.
Johansen, who has been working tirelessly to combat Ebola in her country, says her opponents, who claim the SLFA under her leadership has been squandering FIFA funds, acted illegally and should have waited until the SLFA’s official congress at the end of January to make a stand.
The constant turbulence in Sierra Leone football is borne out to a large extent by greed and deceit. It is understood that Johansen’s opponents include Rodney Michael, believed to have been suspended from the 2013 SLFA presidential election allegedly because of his involvement in gambling and betting. It is also understood the plotters want to involve a leading privately owned sports betting operator, Mercury International, in the running of the federation.
FIFA have written a letter backing Johansen who took over the presidency last year and told Insideworldfootball she would not give in to the pressure.
“What are they trying to achieve except to destabilise?” she said. “The giveaway is that they lifted the ban on those accused of match-fixing. They want us out so that this does not go ahead.
“These people ran Sierra Leone football for two decades and are not interested in discipline or integrity. They have made a mockery of the constitution. If the opposition to my administration is so overwhelming, why not wait until our official congress? “
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