Nahim Kadi the incumbent has been re-elected for the second term in office to head the football Association when he defeated his opponent Dr Foday Bangura in the first round by 29-20
According to the constitution if any presidential candidate fails to have two thirds majority of the votes cast there will be a second round.
In the first round none of the candidates was able to make the required vote cast but Dr Bangura who lost the first rounds by 9 votes refused to go for the second rounds and decided to bow out of the race.
When he took the podium from the Chairman he said that the in first rounds the delegates had voted for the presidential candidate of their choice so there is no reason for him to go for the second round.
They have voted for the executive of their choice he said adding they did it four years ago. He wished his opponent Nahim Kadi the best of luck.
In reply the re-elected President Nahim Kadi said that he will work with his opponent Dr Bangura to develop the game in the country and his second term will be a different one for football in the country.
He mentioned that what actually happened during the Sierra Leone matches will not happen again and no footballer will rule the President of the FA saying “this time around we are going to take a very strong step on that.”
For the positions of Vice President there were four nominations J S Kelfala, Alhaji Mohamed Nabie, Alie ‘Commoner’ Kargbo and Rodney Michael.
After the vote cast J S Kelfala scored the highest of 27 votes to be elected as the first Vice President and Alie Commoner Kargbo who had the second highest score was elected as the second Vice President respectively.
During the first day of the congress several issues were deliberated on like the auditor’s report which the delegates were not able to find a solution for – so a committee was formed that will oversee the audited report.
This report will be looked into after the extra-ordinary congress which this executive will hold after six months in office.
They also looked at the budget and some of the omissions in the other documents and President Nahim Kadi also made his statement before the deliberations started.
In his speech to the delegates he said the life of football Governance comes in four-year blocks and one such block has just ended, ushering in another block to move our collective aspirations to higher heights.
“The spotlight in this ordinary Congress is not the goal scored by Leone Stars, or our unavoidable bedfellows, the press, rather it is focused on the delegates their collective and individual deliberations on the fortunes of our game and their inalienable rights to vote in an executive that reflects their desire to develop football.”
The statement went further that “the past four years of my tenure in office has been dynamic witnessing major challenges that were both locally and internationally motivated. Football governance is principally about organizing matches running courses of instruction i.e. developing the management base of the technocrats.”
He noted “We witnessed a drop in spectators for our local matches which was and is due mainly to the spread of international fixtures on our screens; it is also generated by failure of our clubs to attract a local fan base to follow their matches. And the reputation of football as a brand was also a major challenge to our administration some sectors of the media contributed to the low image of our gains by means of ill-Information to a gullible public” he said.
He went on “in my last address to Congress I made attempts to impress on us all that the FIFA FAP funds should not be alpha and omega of our financial base; the amount provided will not adequately cater for the organization and development of football in our beloved country. We must impress on the private sector to invest in football but this can only be done when the corporate world perceives our commitment dedication and sincerity.”
He added “However our continuous persistence and indiscriminate attacks on each other on the airwaves, print media, beer parlours, ghettos will alienate our supposed partners let us wash our dirty linens at home.”
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