Category: Sport News

Bhantal suffer heavy home CAF Confederation Cup defeat

Debutant Bhantal suffer heavy home CAF Confederation Cup defeat

Debutant Bhantal from Sierra Leone, participating in this season's CAF Confederation Cup, suffered a significant 3-0 loss at home in the first leg of the preliminary stage.

Hafia FC kicked off their African campaign in impressive fashion, delivering a commanding win over Banthal FC this past Saturday, September 20, in Sierra Leone. This match marked the first leg of the initial preliminary round of the Confederation Cup.

From start to finish, the Green and Whites displayed their dominance on the field, led by a standout performance from Salif Camara, who netted two goals. Reinforcement Sekou Damaro Bangoura added to the tally, rounding off the scoring with a well-deserved third goal.

With this solid advantage in hand, the three-time African champions are now set to approach the return leg scheduled for this Friday in Abidjan, determined to secure their spot in the next round.

Sierra Leone U17 girls record back-to-back wins in WAFU qualifiers

Sierra Leone U17 girls record back-to-back wins in WAFU qualifiers

Sierra Leone made a significant strides in the WAFU Girls U17 qualifiers, currently leading the way in their group after securing a second consecutive victory.

Sierra Leone made a significant stride in the WAFU Girls U-17 qualifiers, currently leading their group after securing a second consecutive victory.

In their opening match, they demonstrated their strength by defeating Senegal. Following this impressive performance, Sierra Leone continued their success with a 3-0 win over Liberia on Friday.

Marian Sankoh from Sierra Leone has been recognised as the Woman of the Match for the second consecutive game, scoring once again in the 3-0 victory. This marks her second goal in just two matches of the tournament.

Sierra Leone’s upcoming matches are set for Tuesday against Senegal and Thursday against the host nation, Liberia.

Sierra Leone U17 girls record back-to-back wins in WAFU qualifiers
Sierra Leone U17 girls record back-to-back wins in WAFU qualifiers
East End Lions to face tricky North Africa contest against US Monastir

East End Lions set for tricky North Africa contest against US Monastir

East End Lions, one of Sierra Leone's most celebrated football clubs, have headed north to take on Tunisian side US Monastir in the first leg of their CAF Champions League matchup on Sunday, September 21st.

The return fixture is set for September 28th at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium. Both matches will take place in Tunisia. This is an advantage for the Tunisian team, which finished second in last season’s Pro League 1.

Nonetheless, Head Coach Mohamed Lamin Kamara has expressed his satisfaction with his team’s preparation before they departed for Tunisia.

“Preparation has been ongoing seriously in Port Loko, where the team is camped. We are focused on team organisation and integration, as some of the players are new to the team. We are going to give our best to make our presence felt, and we are looking forward to breaking records.

“The Killers’ delegation has left its training camp in Port Loko this morning, en route to Guinea. The delegation consisted of players and officials.

While in Guinea, the team will depart at the Guinea International airport this evening (Thursday) for Tunisia, where they will continue their preparations ahead of Sunday’s clash against US MONASTIR in the CAF Champions League,” the club confirmed these details.

This is Lions’ fifth appearance in the CAF Champions League, and in their last four attempts, they were eliminated in the Preliminary rounds.

In the 2010 edition, the Lions were eliminated by the Tunisian side ES Tunis with an aggregate score of 5-4. The first leg ended in a 2-2 draw, followed by a 3-2 victory for the Tunisians in the second leg.

US Monastir finished second in last season's Tunisian Pro League 1
US Monastir finished second in last season's Tunisian Pro League 1
Bhantal coach Ibrahim Sillah eyes CAF Confederation win over Hafia

Bhantal coach Ibrahim Sillah eyes CAF Confederation Cup win over Hafia

Bhantal FC head coach Ibrahim Sillah is feeling optimistic as his team gears up for their first leg in the CAF Confederation Cup against the former African powerhouse Hafia of Guinea.

Bhantal FC head coach Ibrahim Sillah is feeling optimistic as his team gears up for their first leg in the CAF Confederation Cup against the former African powerhouse Hafia of Guinea.

The CAF License A tactician is poised to lead the team in its inaugural participation in the CAF Confederation Cup for the 2025/26 season. Sillah brings lots of extensive expertise to the club he joined a few weeks ago.

The Sierra Leonean club will host the Guinean side this Saturday at the Southern Arena for the first leg of the preliminary round. Coach Sillah recognises the challenges of competing at this level of continental football.

“First of all, I want to highlight our team’s chances against Hafia. It’s important to acknowledge that Hafia is a three-time winner of the African Cup of Champions Clubs, now known as the CAF Champions League, as well as a one-time champion of the UFOA Cup. We need to respect their history,” the CAF A License coach stated.

Although we are making our debut in this competition after just two seasons in the Sierra Leone Premier League, I believe we are strong contenders. This is our chance to create our own legacy by winning the first leg at home. We need to come out on top, and I have faith that we can do just that on Saturday.”

In Port Loko, we prepared by playing three friendlies against Port Loko All Stars and Waterloo FC, winning both matches and drawing 1-1 with the champions, East End Lions.

Meanwhile, the 16-time Guinean champions Hafia have arrived in Bo, the second largest city in Sierra Leone by population (after Freetown) and the largest city in the Southern Province.

The two teams will compete again next week in the return match in the ivorian capital. The winner from both matches will play against the Algerian team CR Belouizdad in the second round of the preliminaries.

The 16-time Guinean champions Hafia have arrived in Bo
The 16-time Guinean champions Hafia have arrived in Bo
Sierra Leone up two places from 124 to 122 in latest FIFA rankings after September's International break. 34 in Africa!!!

Sierra Leone move up two places in latest Fifa ranking

Sierra Leone has climbed to 122nd place in the latest FIFA world rankings, which were released on Thursday morning.

The Leone Stars improved their standing by 10.6 points compared to the rankings from July, bringing their total to 1150.01 points and surpassing Malaysia, Azerbaijan, and Zimbabwe in the process.

Sierra Leone’s move comes after recent results in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where they played to 1-1 in Guinea-Bissau and a 2-0 win over Ethiopia.

Currently, they are third in Group A of the World Cup qualifiers, aiming for a place in the playoff, although the possibilities are very slim.

On the African continent, Sierra Leone sits in 34th place, trailing The Gambia at 30th, Sudan at 31, Niger at 32, and Togo at 33 standings.

Morocco continues to sit atop the African and Arab rankings, followed by Senegal in 18th, Egypt in 35th, and Algeria in 38th.

Spain is in first place, followed by France, which has moved up to second position, just behind the Spaniards.

The French team triumphed over Ukraine (2-0) and Iceland (2-1), with Kylian Mbappé surpassing Thierry Henry to become the second-highest scorer in the history of the national team, now with 52 goals.

In the remainder of the Top 10, England (4th), Netherlands (7th), and Belgium (8th) maintained their rankings. Croatia (9th) and Italy (10th) each improved by one spot, securing a place in the elite segment of the ranking.