One of the candidates vying for the presidency of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) Dr Foday Bangura (Bangso) has said at the Makeni town hall that football is not Osusu.
He questioned how can you run football as ‘Osusu’ when you start to play leagues and you have to stop for some time because of money and when it comes you continue the league – this is not good for the game if is to develop countrywide he said.
He pointed out that the present executive does not have a program of events and that is why they are organizing premier league like an ‘Osusu.’
Dr Bangura stated that football is being run in the most primitive way in the country. He maintained that they do not simply want to talk about the problems, and that they are going to find ways to solve the problems.
He went on further that when there are problems “everybody can criticize but we need to have options to convince stakeholders that this is what we want to do so that we can show we are different from this current executive.”
With all this he said “we can win the minds of the people to elect the executive that will move the game forward.”
Dr Bangura said that we need to come together and give out our ideas and that is why they want to decentralize the game. Therefore he ventured “we are going to identify people everywhere in the country who will come together to promote the game.”
He mentioned that one individual cannot distribute money and jerseys all over the place “this is not the way that football must be run in this country.”
He disclosed that they (present executive) cannot account for such money as they do not have supporting documents for such monies distributed which make the work of the auditor very difficult
He stated that what is happening presently in the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) is that there is no financial accountability “they are spending the money as they feel like and without financial management football cannot grow – I said it four years ago and want is happening presently in football is not new”.
Dr Bangura said they are coming again for the second time and he and his team had seen the problems a long time ago and they will find solutions to these problems.
He urged “we have to take decision, a very strong decision” if football is to improve in this country.
He revealed that they are going to offer an executive that will be very very accountable, respected nationally and internationally and with this kind of executive “we can achieve our goals that will have credibility to attract funding for football.”
He mentioned that he came along with the retired football hero’s “these people have been neglected for many years without jobs what examples are they going to give the younger players?” he asked “that is why the younger players are asking for money – they have the right” he stated.
As the old players have played for this country and now they do not have jobs and what to live on “I have been with these players for some years now we share problems together and we have also contributed to the funeral of some of them.”
“If I become President of SLFA or not I still care for these people and on behalf of the heroes I present my case as we want to change football in the country. We don’t have money to share to stakeholders – over the years money have destroyed the game and I need to contribute to Sierra Leone football to pay back what football has done for me” he ended.
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