July 13 – Former Sierra Leone international Sheriff Suma hopes the country’s Olympic footballers will not be tempted to abscond when attending this month’s Rio Games.
Thirteen years ago Suma was part of his country’s squad for the Under-17 World Championship in Finland when 13 players went missing. He remained with the squad and was one of only seven players who returned to Sierra Leone after they were knocked out of the tournament.
None of the players were punished by the Sierra Leone Football Association and six of them, including former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Mohamed Kamara, who is now with HJK of Finland, have been called upon several times to play for Leone Stars.
But the 29-year old Suma, who retired from international football two weeks ago after playing in Sweden, Norway, Cyprus, Turkey and Azerbaijan, insists seeking asylum is the wrong choice.
“I have no regrets that I stayed back because it was the right thing to do,” Suma, who is currently based in the USA, told the BBC. “It would have been easy for me at that time to run away because I had friends living in Finland and Sweden.
“But I chose to return home because it was the best to do for my career. I knew I had a bright future ahead of me. My advice to the Sierra Leonean athletes competing in the Olympic Games and other future international events is to make their country proud and not to run away.”
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