By Bockarie Allieu
FREETOWN, Nov. 15 (SALONE TIMES) – In a joint press conference by the Sierra Leone Football Association and the Africell Mobile Company it was confirmed that the Sierra Leone senior national football team Leone Stars will play their second batch of friendly matches in Turkey.
In lieu of the above friendly matches, the Head of Events and Sponsorship at Africell Abdul Aziz Kamara said the friendly matches will enable Leone Stars to take part in the AFCON completion as competitors and not just partakers.
In this case, he assured the Africell Mobile Company will continue to give their full support to the team. He noted that for them the support is a call to duty and their cooperate responsibility to their customers and the entire Sierra Leoneans.
He called on all to continue making Africell their leading Mobile Company so that they do more support to sports in general. The Head of Cooperate Affairs at the FA Benson Bawoh said onto to their time of departure, the only confirmed friendly match was the match against Comoros.
He went on that the other country pulled out due to reasons beyond football. He though assured that are they in talks with another country that will be in Turkey at that time or one of the clubs in Istanbul, Turkey if they fail to get a national team.
The Head Coach of the team John Keister told the media about the important of the friendly matches as he said will enable them to select players for the final list of the AFCON competition.
He went on that the above is the reason why they are chanced to so many players to fight for space in the team. The team departs on Wednesday night with 45 man delegation. Among them were four officials Thomas Daddy Brima FA President, Kai Lawrence Mbayo Deputy Sports Minister, Dr. Abdul Rhaman Swaray NSA Deputy Executive Director and Brima Jalloh SLFA Executive Committee Member, 13 technical team members 4 technical support staff and 23 players.
The friendly matches will take place on FIFA calendar dates 8th -16th November 2021. Sierra Leone played their first friendly match against Comoros Island on Saturday which they loss 2-0 to the Comorians in Istanbul – Turkey.
Failing to get another country for the second friendly match Leone Stars will face Hapoel Tel Aviv FC from Israel on the 16th November in Turkey at the same venue.
According to sources, the team will return back home and continue with the preparation for the AFCON competition.
