February 5 – The bitter in-fighting over who runs the game in Sierra Leone has burst back into the spotlight after FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura (pictured right with Isha Johansen) with wrote to the country’s sports minister, Ahmed Khanou, warning him not to interfere.
Late last year FIFA reiterated its stance to continue to recognise Johansen as the president of the Sierra Leone Football Association even though her mandate has expired – and overturned a decision by the SLFA to set her aside.
Now FIFA has inflamed tensions even more by ordering Khanou, a member of a FIFA task force set up to resolve internal problems within the SLFA, to allow the federation to “manage its affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties.”
Khanou immediately denied any wrongdoing telling the BBC: “I’m disappointed at FIFA’s Fatma Samoura because I’ve not interfered with the peace process.”
“I received a letter from the SLFA executive committee saying they wanted to convene a congress to adopt the Fifa code of ethics and elect members to the electoral board to conduct elections.
“These are in line with the Fifa road map. So, as a member of the task force, I decided to call another member of the task force – Veron Mosengo-Omba (FIFA’s director of member associations) – to inform him about the letter I received.
“He promised to get back to me, only for me to then receive a letter from the FIFA secretary general urging me not to interfere,” explained Khanou.
Throwing the ball back in FIFA’s court, he said Johansen – who is facing corruption charges she fiercely denies – could not be deemed to be the current leader of the SLFA.
“By continuing to recognise Johansen as President of the SLFA means FIFA has no respect for the laws of Sierra Leone,” said Khanou. “It’s a total disregard of our country’s laws which are supreme. This has the tendency to forestall the peace process which I have been part of.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1735000680labto1735000680ofdlr1735000680owedi1735000680sni@w1735000680ahsra1735000680w.wer1735000680dna1735000680