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SLIFA's Head Coach Jumu Bockarie Reflects on Debut Victory

SLIFA’s Head Coach Jumu Bockarie Reflects on Debut Victory

Jumu Bockarie, head coach of Sierra Leone Premier League side SLIFA FC, spoke to the club’s media following his debut victory in the league, a 1-0 win at the approved school pitch in Freetown last Sunday.

A fantastic goal from Ernest George was the reason for the victory. I want to express my gratitude to God and my family for their endless love and support. I would also like to thank SLIFA MANAGEMENT for allowing me to continue as head coach for the 2024/2025 season,stated Bockarie, a UEFA C licensed coach.

“The focus of the staff was on welcoming our players, the style of play, and improving our passing, which played a significant role in our performance. The opponent posed a real challenge in the first ten minutes, but our players adapted well and demonstrated high-quality skills.

He also commented on the team’s performance:We played very well and achieved a clean sweep across all fronts. Our victory was thanks to a fantastic shot that hit the crossbar, followed quickly by George, who sealed the score.

It’s a fantastic achievement in my debut season; however, I’m not satisfied yet, and I remain focused on the next game. It’s essential to manage players effectively and use the right tactics.

I am grateful for SLIFA’s support on my journey to becoming a coach, and I am committed to helping our young players grow and entertain our fans,he added.

Sierra Leone face difficult road to Women's AFCON 2026 in Morocco

Sierra Leone face difficult road to Women’s AFCON in Morocco

Sierra Queens of Sierra Leone to embark on a difficult journey to qualify for the 2026 CAF Women’s African Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The qualifiers for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2026, will commence following the draw held at the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo on Thursday.

In the initial round of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 Qualifiers, Sierra Leone will face Benin. Should the team succeed in this round, they will advance to meet Nigeria in the subsequent stage.

The Sierra Queens will first travel to Benin for the first leg of their match, scheduled from February 17 to 26, 2025, while the second round will occur between October 20 and 28, 2025.

The winner of the match between Sierra Leone and Benin will go on to challenge Nigeria, an established powerhouse in African women’s football. Nigeria has been granted a bye for the first round due to its high ranking.

The second round of fixtures is set to take place from October 20 to 28, 2025. A total of 38 African nations will compete for 12 available spots in the final tournament, alongside Morocco, which qualifies automatically as the host nation.

Qualifier Schedule:

  • First Round: February 17–26, 2025
  • Second Round: October 20–28, 2025

First Round Fixtures:

  • M1 & M2: Angola vs Zimbabwe
  • M3 & M4: Malawi vs Congo
  • M5 & M6: Botswana vs DR Congo
  • M7 & M8: Tanzania vs Equatorial Guinea
  • M9 & M10: Uganda vs Ethiopia
  • M11 & M12: Eswatini vs Namibia
  • M13 & M14: Burundi vs Burkina Faso
  • M15 & M16: Djibouti vs Togo
  • M17 & M18: South Sudan vs Algeria
  • M19 & M20: Rwanda vs Egypt
  • M21 & M22: Kenya vs Tunisia
  • M23 & M24: Niger vs Gambia
  • M25 & M26: Benin vs Sierra Leone
  • M27 & M28: Guinea vs Cape Verde
  • M29 & M30: Gabon vs Mali
  • M31 & M32: Chad vs Senegal

Second Round Fixtures:

  • M33 & M34: Angola/Zimbabwe vs Malawi/Congo
  • M35 & M36: Botswana/DR Congo vs South Africa
  • M37 & M38: Tanzania/Equatorial Guinea vs Uganda/Ethiopia
  • M39 & M40: Eswatini/Namibia vs Zambia
  • M41 & M42: Burundi/Burkina Faso vs Djibouti/Togo
  • M43 & M44: South Sudan/Algeria vs Cameroon
  • M45 & M46: Rwanda/Egypt vs Ghana
  • M47 & M48: Kenya/Tunisia vs Niger/Gambia
  • M49 & M50: Benin /Sierra leone Vs  Nigeria
  • M51 & M52: Guinea/Cape Verde vs Gabon/Mali
  • M53 & M54: Chad/Senegal vs Côte d’Ivoire
Sierra Leone plummet eight places in latest FIFA ranking

Sierra Leone plummet eight places in latest FIFA ranking

Sierra Leone has seen a significant drop in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday, following their unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Morocco 2025 AFCON tournament next year.

This decline is attributed to poor performances in the recent African Cup of Nations match day five and six, where they drew against Chad and suffered a 2-0 defeat to Zambia in Group G as hosts nation.

From 121st to 129th in the global ranking – as a result, the West African nation has plummeted also to 38th on the continent, having conceded ten goals while scoring only five in the AFCON 2025 qualifiers.

Africa’s top ten ranked teams include Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia and South Africa.

On the global stage, Argentina, captained by Lionel Messi, retains the top position, followed by France in second and Spain in third. England and Brazil hold the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.

These rankings reflect a busy international football calendar, which includes the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, AFCON 2025 matches, and Nations League fixtures.

Meanwhile, Niger made the biggest leap in the rankings, rising nine spots to 122nd globally with a total of 31.23 points.

The next FIFA ranking update is scheduled for December 12, 2024.

Sierra Leone Champions Bo Rangers Request Delay Prize Money

Sierra Leone Champions Bo Rangers Request Delay Prize Money

The management of Bo Rangers submitted a letter dated October 29 to the Acting Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Football Association, requesting their championship prize money for the 2023/24 Leone Rock Premier League after nearly six months of waiting.

The prize money for the championship is confirmed to be Five Hundred Thousand New Leones (NLe 500,000), as announced by the Premier League Board before the league’s commencement in November 2023.

Although the league was sponsored by Leone Rock Mining Company, which contributed Eighty Thousand American Dollars, along with an additional Two Million Eight Hundred Thousand Leones (NLe 2.8M) from the Government of Sierra Leone, the Premier League Board, led by Victor Lewis, and the Sierra Leone Football Association, have yet to disburse the prize money to the champions.

In their letter, Bo Rangers expressed that the delay in receiving the funds has raised concerns among the club’s management, particularly the board of directors. They urged the Sierra Leone Football Association to expedite the payment process for the championship prize.

“This delay has caused genuine concern among the club’s management, especially the board,the letter stated. It emphasized that timely payment is crucial for the club’s financial planning and upcoming activities.

“We kindly ask the Football Association to expedite the processing of the championship funds to ensure that our club is duly rewarded for its hard work and achievements. Timely disbursement of these funds is essential for the club’s financial planning and future endeavours,” the FA Cup champions lamented.

An official from the SLFA, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the media,The Champions will receive their prize money.

“Typically, it is the responsibility of the league board to distribute these funds, but they have been unable to do so. The FA will intervene and provide the payments in light of this situation. However, the process has been delayed because the Executive Committee requested that we hold off until they can review the report submitted by the league board.”

Read Related News Third straight Sierra Leone League Title For Bo Rangers

The Sierra Leone Champions Bo Rangers letter to the Sierra Leone Football Association
The Sierra Leone Champions Bo Rangers letter to the Sierra Leone Football Association
Zambia worsens Sierra Leone woes to end qualifying campaign on high

Zambia worsen Sierra Leone’s misery to wrap up qualifying campaign on high

Sierra Leone suffered its third defeat, a 2-0 loss to Zambia in the last match of the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.During the campaign, Sierra Leone conceded ten goals and scored five in their six qualifying matches.

With goals from Kennedy Musonda and Emmanuel Banda at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia, the visitors enjoyed a resounding victory.

The victory means, Zambia topped Group G with 13 points, finishing one point ahead of the African champions, Côte d’Ivoire.

The Leone Stars have once again failed to secure a place in the continent’s most prestigious football tournament, missing the opportunity since their appearance in the 2021 finals in Cameroon.

This outcome has left many soccer enthusiasts disheartened, as they feel that the financial support provided by the government should have empowered Sierra Leone to compete against the top teams across Africa.

Fans had hoped to see their national team rise to the challenge and make a mark on the international stage, but the disappointment lingers as they reflect on what could have been.

Meanwhile, several nations qualified with good performances. Nigeria, Tunisia, and South Africa also secured their places, bringing in some of Africa’s most famous teams.

Some nations made a comeback, including DR Congo, Angola, and Gabon. Botswana returns to the tournament after many years, showing the growing competitiveness of African football. Sudan and Benin qualified on the last day of matches.

Last week, Zambia, Mali, Zimbabwe, and Comoros secured their spots, creating a balanced mix of established and new teams.

Equatorial Guinea and Uganda, known for their strong past performances, will join the tournament in Morocco.

This will be Botswana’s first appearance in 12 years, while Tanzania and Mozambique have fought hard to qualify.

The qualification rounds show that the level of football in Africa is rising. Now that all 24 slots are filled, excitement is growing for what will be a memorable tournament.

Group G Match Day Six Results

Ivory Coast 4-0 Chad

Sierra Leone 0-2 Zambia

The 24 nations competing in the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) have been confirmed. The tournament will kick off in December next year in Morocco, the host nation.
The 24 nations competing in the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) have been confirmed. The tournament will kick off in December next year in Morocco, the host nation.