by Alie Bittar @bittar32

CAF Strategy Conference Concludes Second Day in Cabo Verde

The 54 Member Associations of the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) wrapped up a successful second day of the CAF Strategy Conference, chaired by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, in Sal, Santa Maria, Cabo Verde on Thursday, 8 October 2026.

The opening session featured notable attendees, including Cabo Verde’s Head of State, Dr. Janira Hopffer Almada, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, both of whom delivered remarks addressing the significance of the event.

Day three of the CAF Strategy Conference is set to kick off on Friday, 9 October 2026, at 09:00 local time / 10:00 GMT / 13:00 Cairo time. FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development and former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger will participate in an engaging panel discussion alongside several successful coaches from Africa’s National Teams at the FIFA World Cup 2026, including Cabo Verde’s Bubista, Egypt’s Hossam Hassan, and DR Congo’s Sébastien Desabre.

A major goal of the CAF Strategy Conference is to elevate football in each of the 54 Member Associations to a world-class level and to ensure that it becomes self-sustaining, all while enhancing the competitiveness of CAF competitions on the global stage.

In recent years, CAF has significantly boosted its investment in football development and the growth of its Member Associations, leading to hundreds of millions of US dollars in funding. This includes increasing annual subsidies to CAF Member Associations and Zonal Unions, consistently bringing in new sponsorship and partnership agreements, finalizing mutually rewarding deals with television and other broadcasters, and continually enhancing the quality of the broadcasting product.

by FSL News

Sierra Leone Drops Eight Spots in latest FIFA World Ranking

Sierra Leone has slipped to 130th in the latest FIFA World Rankings after back-to-back defeats to Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea, 3–2 and 1–0, respectively.

The Leone Stars could not improve their global standing after two defeats in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in October.

Sierra Leone dropped nine places, from 122nd to 130th, and currently have 1,123.20 points, placing them behind Group E opponents Zimbabwe.

In Africa, the Leone Stars are currently ranked 37th, while Morocco tops the continent at 7th place. Following Morocco are Senegal at 18th, Egypt at 25th, Algeria at 28th, Ivory Coast at 29th, Nigeria at 30th, DR Congo at 40th, Cameroon at 42nd, Mali at 47th, and South Africa at 48th, rounding out the top ten teams under the Confederation of African Football.

On the global stage, Spain holds the number one spot, followed closely by Argentina, France, England, Portugal, Brazil, Morocco, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Mexico, completing the top ten rankings.

Sierra Leone recorded the biggest drop in this FIFA Ranking
Sierra Leone recorded the biggest drop in this FIFA Ranking
by FSL News

Aminata Bangura loses CAS appeal over SLFA election

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has thrown out the appeal filed by Aminata Bangura, who protested her eligibility to contest the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) presidential elections in August 2025.

The court dismissed the case, citing that Mrs Bangura provided inconsistent statements to back her appeal. Bangura was allowed to contest the election after she initially appealed to the SLFA Ethics Committee after she was ruled out for failing an integrity check.

“So weighing up the evidence she has provided, the Sole Arbitrator can understand why the SLFA Ethics Board would have found her untruthful,” Cas stated in its ruling published on Monday 5 October.

“The situation only got worse for the Appellant before the CAS. Her version of the events changed again and then again. If someone is telling the truth, they tend to find it quite easy to do so; they just repeat what happened. The Appellant’s version of events simply changed too much to be credible. She also has “drip-fed” her version of the events,” the ruling adds.

Babadi Kamara was elected as the new president of the SLFA, and he has spent over a year in office.

The SLFA on its part, called the CAS decision a victory for good governance. “The SLFA welcomes the award, which affirms the decision of it’s judicial bodies and underscores the importance of integrity, transparency and compliance within football governance,” the FA’s statement highlights.

The Case decision is expected to put an end to months and even years of tension within the SLFA, as the country can now focus on its campaign to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

by Alusine Rehme Wilson

Sierra Leone Football Roars Back as Unity Cup Finals Ignite Leagues Kick-Off

Sierra Leone’s 2026/27 domestic football season will officially begin on October 10, following the completion of the Men’s and Women’s Unity Cup finals at Southern Arena in Bo.

Ram Kamara FC of Bo won the 2026 Women’s Unity Cup on Saturday, October 3, defeating reigning Marampa Mines Women’s Premier League champions Mogbwemo Queens 2-1.

The following day, last season’s Leone Rock Men’s Premier League champions, Bo Rangers, defeated the 2026 Orange Sierra Leone FA-Cup holders East End Lions 2-1 to claim the Men’s Unity Cup at the Southern Arena on Sunday night.

 

Both Unity Cups crunch matches served as the opening competitive fixtures of the new football season in Sierra Leone, with the two top-flight leagues now set to begin simultaneously.

The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) included the Unity Cups in its 2026/27 domestic football calendar, scheduling the finals for October 3 and 4 ahead of the October 10 league kick-off.

The local football federation has since confirmed that both the Marampa Mines Women’s Premier League and Leone Rock Men’s Premier League will commence their 2026/27 campaigns on the same day.

Largely, the synchronised start brings the country’s men’s and women’s top-flight competitions into the same footballing window and provides a more coordinated calendar for clubs, players, officials, sponsors and supporters.

In another development, the SLFA has also announced the disbursement of the sums of US$100,000 equivalent to NLe 2,304,500 each to the Men’s and Women’s Premier League Boards to support teams and leagues preparations for the new season.

While the Unity Cup results have provided early storylines ahead of the league campaign, Mogbwemo Queens will begin their title defence after losing to Ram Kamara FC, while Bo Rangers enter their title defence after overcoming East End Lions in the men’s curtain-raiser.

Nonetheless, the Unity Cup results will not determine the league champions, with both competitions now moving into their full-season campaigns, as both the Marampa Mines Women’s Premier League and Leone Rock Men’s Premier League kick off on Saturday, October 10, beginning the race for Sierra Leone’s top domestic honours.

by Football Sierra Leone

Ram Kamara Lift Women’s Unity Cup After 2–1 Triumph Over Mogbwema Queens

Ram Kamara FC have been crowned champions of the SLFA Women’s Unity Cup after defeating defending champions Mogbwema Queens 2-1 in an exciting final at Southern Arena.

Ram Kamara made a strong start to the match, taking the lead in the 28th minute through Fattou Fatty.

Kadiatu G. Kamara then doubled their advantage just five minutes later to give Ram Kamara a 2-0 lead. Mogbwema Queens’ task became even more difficult before halftime when Fatmata Turay was shown a red card, leaving the defending champions with 10 players.

Despite being reduced to 10 players, Mogbwema Queens came out strongly after the break and pulled a goal back in the 51st minute through an own goal by Emma J.K. Kamara.

The Queens continued to push for an equaliser and created several opportunities, but Ram Kamara defended resolutely to preserve their 2-1 advantage and secure the Women’s Unity Cup title.

Following the final, SLFA President Babadi Kamara presented medals to both teams as Ram Kamara celebrated their triumph.