History of Sierra Leone football starts tomorrow as the country takes on Benin in Guinea. Sierra Leone hopes to defeat Benin and secures a place in the 2021 African Nations Cup.
The team is in good form, and its determination to win the match is conspicuously visible. Victory is written on the players’ youthful and exuberant faces.
Despite, these qualities, Sierra Leoneans must come together, and fight a common cause regardless of any consideration. We must wholeheartedly support the national team to proudly fly the flag of Sierra Leone.
To achieve this, politics must be put aside. It is not an APC ( All People’s Congress) or SLPP ( Sierra Leone People’s Party)affair but a national issue. It is not a matter of politicking but seeing Sierra Leone qualified for the African Nations’ Cup competition.
Sierra Leone has left the Nations’ Cup for a long time, and must return there to make the country great again. Government has played well its own role by providing US$6, 577,594,816 for the team. It is an important step, and a no mean feat.
While in Guinea, the training went on smoothly. The team is in good form with high morale. They are determined to win. The hype on social media on what is going in Guinea is a mere rhetoric and fake news.
Those on the ground tells the exact story. Social media have become the greatest platforms for misinformation, distortion and misrepresentation of facts, and should not be trusted.
They are platforms for fake news mongers. Before the start of play in Guinea Executive Chairman Bo Rangers Football Club, Mr Babadi Kamara entreated the players to make history for the country’s soccer.
He assured the players that government officials were there to support the team because they had confidence in them. The support, he said, was to ginger the players and take back Sierra Leone to the African Nations’ Cup.
“For over 25 years, we are not represented in the African Nations’ Cup.I have no doubt that tomorrow you are going to win the competition,” he inspired the team.
Kamara reminded the players that they were going to represent the country in a war of 90 minutes.
He said it was not a war one could withdraw, but a war that was meant to be won. “We have played in Benin. We know how we played there; we were a better team than Benin. We were superior to them.When we come tomorrow, let us do our best,” Kamara urged.
He reminded the players that they were worth everything, and they would deliver tomorrow. Minister of Sports, Ibrahim Yelenkeh also expressed inspiring words to the team.
He assured the players of government support at all times. While gingering up the players, the Minister made specific reference to Sierra Leone’s performance in Nigeria.
” What you did in Nigeria was history. Sierra Leone team is one to reckon with,” he claimed.
Mr Yelenkeh said the team’s performance in Nigeria hinged on seeing the Nigerian team as colleague players. The minister urged the players not to feel scared about big names adding that football was about determination and perseverance.
“Let no name make you feel downcast,” he urged.
Sierra Leone watches as the game plays, and the President’ s promise for the players is intact.
CREDIT: SWASAL