Sierra Leone court acquits football chiefs over corruption

A Sierra Leonean High Court has acquitted embattled Football Association president Isha Johansen of all charges of corruption. Her Secretary General was also acquitted of same.

The Justice Reginald Fynn-court’s ruling paves the way for Johansen to be reinstated as the Sierra Leone Football Association, SLFA, boss.

FIFA last year suspended the SLFA due to government interference in soccer affairs, specifically protesting the removal of Johansen and general secretary Christopher Kamara.

Johansen and Kamara have both denied any wrongdoing over allegations of match-fixing involving the national team.

Global football governing body, FIFA’s ban on the West African country led to the inability of the SLFA to compete in the qualification towards the African Cup of Nations, AFCON 2019, slated for Egypt.

“Our appeal has been rejected,” the Football Association president Brima Mazzola Kamara, who replaced Johansen, told Reuters back in October 2018.

“It is not what we were hoping for, especially since this now means the CAF match won’t be happening. FIFA told us that Isha’s reinstatement was a prerequisite for our suspension being lifted, and when we told them she had not returned to work, they denied us,” he added.

Mazzola Kamara said that the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission will not budge on their decision to oust Johansen and SLFA general secretary Christopher Kamara.