By James Pessima
The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has raised concerns over apparent financial and procurement irregularities linked to a $216,000 FIFA-funded contract for the supply of furniture and equipment, the association’s president said.
SLFA President Babadi Kamara said the contract, approved under a previous administration, was intended to cover the supply of furniture, CCTV cameras and related equipment for the football body.
According to Kamara, records reviewed by the SLFA show that $130,000 was paid to a supplier through a bank account that was reportedly opened specifically to receive the FIFA funds. The money was deposited on July 15, 2022, with $70,000 withdrawn on the same day, a transaction pattern he said had raised concerns about compliance with standard financial controls.
Kamara said the contract was awarded to an electronic retail business, a decision he described as inconsistent with established procurement procedures for furniture supply contracts.
He added that electronic items, including mobile phones and computers, were reportedly collected from the supplier and treated as part settlement of the contract, despite not being listed in the approved contract scope.
The SLFA president said there was no documentary evidence to confirm that furniture was supplied to the association under the agreement. He said the association could not locate delivery notes, supply certificates or acknowledgment records from either the supplier or within SLFA files.
A physical verification exercise conducted at the SLFA Secretariat identified furniture assets valued at approximately $13,000, Kamara said, a figure he described as disproportionately low compared with the total contract value.
Describing the issue as one involving serious questions of accountability and fiduciary responsibility, Kamara said the matter had been formally referred to FIFA, which provided the funding. He said a detailed report had already been submitted to the world football governing body.
Kamara said the SLFA Executive Committee would consider further action in line with FIFA’s findings, the SLFA Statutes and the laws of Sierra Leone.
By James Pessima
