SLFA secures ATS as home ground for U-20 match

The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has secured the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) in Monrovia, Liberia as its artificial home venue for the returned leg of the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Qualifier on Saturday, October 9, 2021, following CAF’s disqualification of the Siaka Steven Stadium and other playing facilities in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone female U-20 last weekend defeated their Guinean counterparts in Senegal by a lone goal.

SLFA had concluded fruitful deliberations with the Libera Football Association (LFA) authorities on the venue.

To further wrap up the agreement and conclude pending arrangements, a four-man delegation headed by the Vice President II, Alie Badara Tarawallie left Sierra Leone on Monday, 27th September and are expected back on the Thursday the 30th September.

Other officials in the delegation include: Abdul Osman Turay – North West Region Chairman; Sorie Ibrahim Sesay – Head of Competitions and Abubakarr Kamara – Head of Protocol and events Management.

The delegation was taken on a conducted tour of the facilities by the LFA protocol and held meetings with service providers and the Media.

In another development, the delegation has also secured the same venue for the hosting of the first leg of the Africa Women’s Championship Qualifier between Sierra Leone and The Gambia on 18th October, 2021.

LEONE STARS DELEGATION IN MOROCCO FOR 3 INTERNATIONAL MATCHES

A cross section of the Leone Stars delegation has arrived in the Moroccan City of El Jadida ahead of three international friendly matches, as part of their preparation for the 2021 AFCON finals.

The delegation departs the Lungi International Airport at around 8PM on Saturday onboard Air Senegal en route to Dakar through Banjul. In Dakar Senegal, the delegation transited onboard Royal Air Maroc and arrived in Casablanca at exactly 6AM on Sunday, before the delegation drove to the Moroccan port city named El Jadida where the delegation checked in at the Ibis Hotel.

The delegation include seven (7) players and 16 Officials who left Freetown on Saturday. Additional home based and foreign based players are expected to join the squad later today and tomorrow. R.B LINESE’s players Alusine Koroma and Alhassan Koroma are the first foreign based players to have jetted in Morocco on Sunday afternoon to join the squad.

Also expected to join the delegation are the President Thomas Daddy Brima, Vice President 1 Harold Nat-Johnson, Executive Officer Kweku Lisk and General Secretary Christopher Kamara from the Sierra Leone Football Association, alongside the Minister of Sports Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, the Executive Director of the National Sports Authority Dr. Kenneth Brima, and more, will leave the shores of Sierra Leone for Morocco on Monday.

Leone Stars will play their first match against South Sudan on the 6th October 2021, which will be followed by a clash with The Gambia on the 9th October and Morocco on the 12th October 2021 in Morocco.

The Leone Stars delegation was warmly welcomed by the Moroccan Football Federation at the Casablanca airport. A delegation of the Sierra Leone Embassy in Rabat Morocco also paid a courtesy visit to the Leone Stars camp at the Ibis Hotel in Jadida, where they inspired the team and expressed commitment to support the team.

The team will hold its first official training session on Monday morning ahead of the lined up friendly matches which are meant to prepare the team for the Cameroon 2021 Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations finals in January 2022. These friendlies will also give the technical staff the opportunity to assess and select players for the campaign.