Ahead of Sierra Leone’s Premier League opening, which is expected to start on 27th January 2019, the Referee Department headed by Mohamed Bowen Freeman have held a one-day seminar at the Presidential Lounge at the Siaka Stevens Stadium in Freetown. According to Agnes Abu, Board member of the referee committee and also referee co-coordinator said the seminar is for the referees to refresh their mind and also to prepare them for the League. The acting Sierra Leone Football Association President, Brima Mazola Kamara, said the referees are special people if the game of football is to develop they have a role to play. He stated that during his playing days he never received any card because he was respectful of the decision of the referees. The Chair of the Premier League Board, Saffa Abdulai, said it is exciting to see referees coming together. He said the foundation has been laid as the Government has given them the money for the start of the league. So to have a referee seminar it is important because for the past four years no top league was playing in the country. He said they want the referees to maintain the integrity of the game and he also stated that not all the referees are going to officiate the Premier League because it is only 13 teams that will be participating. According to Freeman, the aim of the seminar is to guide the referees and inform them of their responsibilities when officiating league matches. Freeman said FIFA is saying that referees must recognize, resist and report any form of match manipulation or corruption.
23/1/19
By Bernard Turay
Tel: 077579484/076829887
Thursday January 24, 2019.