Category: Sport News

Sierra Leone disqualified from WAFU U17 over age cheating
by FSL News

Sierra Leone disqualified from WAFU U17 over age cheating

Sierra Leone will not take part in this year’s Under-17 WAFU AFCON qualifiers in Senegal after they were found guilty of age cheating, as announced by the organising committee.

West African Football Union by the CAF Medical team disqualified Sierra Leone, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau over age manipulations.

WAFU noted that as a result of the new rule set out in article 27.4 of the under-17 African Cup of Nations, regulations will be applied to these U17 national teams.

The New Rules state, 27.4 If after carrying out the eligibility test (IRM) for a participating team, for or more of it players deemed ineligible, the participant team will be disqualified.”

Consequently, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Guinea Bissau are disqualified from the WAFU U17 tournament in Senegal.”

Africa and Age Cheating

Guinea has a history of age cheating. In 2019, they were disqualified from the Under-17 World Cup in Brazil due to age violations at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, which served as qualifiers.

Despite being runners-up at the U-17 Nations Cup in Tanzania in April, Guinea believed they had secured a World Cup spot by reaching the semi-finals.

In the same Senegeal in 2021, the Sierra Leone U17 side was disqualified over the same age manipulation due to a failed MRI test.

WAFU on U17 age manipulation in Senegal
WAFU on U17 age manipulation in Senegal
Ishmael Kabia named on the bench in Arsenal's defeat to Bournemouth
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Ishmael Kabia named on the bench in Arsenal’s defeat to Bournemouth

Sierra Leonean Ishmael Kabia was one of four academy players—along with Tommy Setford, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Ethan Nwaneri—who were included on the bench for Arsenal’s first team in the 2-0 loss against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Arsenal suffered an unexpected 2-0 loss to Bournemouth after William Saliba’s red card marking their first Premier League defeat since April.

Alexei Rojas serves as the third-choice goalkeeper. Setford has returned from injury, and winger Kabia is once again involved with the first team. Midfielders Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri have frequently been called up to the senior squad this season.

Kabia, a Dutch citizen born in the Netherlands to Sierra Leonean parents, has not yet represented any country internationally. He is a right-footed right-winger who typically stays near the touchline on the right, though he has played occasionally on the left as well.

Ishmael Kabia stands out for his speed and crossing ability, excelling at youth levels. His effective partnership with Nwaneri in the under-21 team has caught the club’s attention.

A youth expert from Next Generation Arsenal remarked, “Ishmael Kabia is the quickest wide player I’ve seen recently. His speed disrupts defenders, and his technical skills have improved significantly. If he keeps progressing, he could become a key player.”

In September, he made his first senior appearance for Arsenal’s first team in their 5-1 win over Bolton in the EFL Cup.

Sierra Leone name provisional Chan home-based squad for Liberia prep
by Football Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone name provisional home-based squad for CHAN qualifiers

The head coach of Sierra Leone’s home-based team, Alhaji Foray, has invited 40 players for training. This training is to prepare for the upcoming CHAN qualifiers.

Sierra Leone will play against Liberia on October 27 and November 1, 2024. Training starts on Monday, October 21, 2024, at the SLFA Academy, and all invited players must arrive by 6:30 AM.

The draw for the matchups took place in Cairo on October 9 and included 40 nations. The tournament will be held in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania from February 1 to February 28, 2025. This is the first time three countries will co-host the tournament.

Nineteen African nations will compete, including the hosts and three teams qualified from each of CAF’s six Zonal Unions. Only players from local leagues can participate, and the tournament offers a prize of $2 million. The last edition was won by Senegal, which beat Algeria in the finals.

WAFU A ROUND 1

Sierra Leone vs Liberia

1st Leg: 25 – 27 October | 2nd Leg: 01 – 03 November

ROUND 2

Sierra Leone / Liberia v Senegal

Mauritania v Mali

Guinea v Guinea-Bissau

1st Leg: 20 – 22 December | 2nd Leg 27 – 29 November

Sierra Leone captain Caulker expresses excitement after win over African champions, Ivory Coast
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sierra Leone captain Caulker expresses pride after win over Ivory Coast

Sierra Leone captain Steven Caulker expressed pride in his Leone Stars teammates after their hard-fought victory over the African champions on Tuesday during their round four Group G qualifiers at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium.

Amadou Bakayoko, a striker based in Japan, scored a last-minute header to secure the win for the West African team, marking their first victory in the qualifiers and against Ivory Coast.

The Sierra Leone skipper remarked, “The beautiful game… On Friday night, we lost 4-1 to the African champions, Ivory Coast. We conceded three penalties and paid the price for lapses in concentration.

I didn’t sleep at all that night; I was fuming. Our chances of qualifying for AFCON 2025 have been severely diminished. We then spent the entire Saturday traveling to Liberia. For those who may not know, many African nations can’t play at home because we don’t meet FIFA requirements.

It’s a real disadvantage not being able to play in front of our home supporters. We also picked up a few injuries to key players, and by Tuesday, everyone had written us off… That’s where the beauty of football comes into play.

Our team rallied together and achieved a historic victory, beating the African giants for the first time ever. What a feeling! We won 1-0 with a clean sheet and a solid team performance.

Although we still have two challenging matches against Chad and Zambia to play in November, our hopes of qualifying are reignited. The highs and lows of football.”

As it stands in Group G,  Ivory Coast on nine points, Zambia on seven, Sierra Leone amassed four points and Chad on two points ahead of the final two matches. 

Morocco will host the CAF Women’s Champions League in November 2024
by FSL News

Morocco will host the CAF Women’s Champions League in November 2024

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that Morocco will host the 2024 edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League Finals, as reported by CAF.

The CAF Women’s Champions League in Morocco will take place from November 9 to November 23, 2024. Morocco also hosted the 2022 edition of this premier club football competition for women in Africa.

A total of eight clubs will compete for the title. The winners will receive $400,000 in prize money, while the runners-up will receive $250,000. Mamelodi Sundowns are the current champions, having won the competition twice in three years.

Morocco’s ASFAR is another team that has won the competition, claiming the title in 2022 after defeating Mamelodi Sundowns.

Since its inception, the CAF Women’s Champions League has played a crucial role in advancing women’s football in Africa.

Morocco’s upcoming hosting of the CAF Women’s Champions League follows the successful organization of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2022, which also enjoyed remarkable success.

To qualify for the finals, six zonal tournaments were held, allowing six teams to earn their spots alongside the host nation and the holder of the 2023 title. The following teams have qualified:

CAF Women’s Champions League Qualified Clubs:

  • Holders: Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
  • Host : ASFAR (Morocco)
  • WAFU A  : Aigles de la Medina (Senegal)
  • WAFU B: EDO Queens (Nigeria)
  • COSAFA: University of Western Cape (South Africa)
  • UNAF   : Tutankhamun (Egypt)
  • CECAFA: CBE FC (Ethiopia)
  • UNIFFAC: TP Mazembe (DR Congo)