The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has appointed Technical Director John Edward Keister as caretaker head coach of the Leone Stars for the upcoming double-header international friendlies against Liberia, as uncertainty continues to surround the team’s long-term leadership ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Keister, a former FC Johansen, Bo Rangers FC and Leone Stars coach, returns to the dugout alongside assistants Alhaji Foray of Bo Rangers and Mohamed Lamin Kamara of East End Lions, forming an interim technical team tasked with restoring stability and sharpening competitive performance solely for the warm-up home and away games against Liberia on June 6 and June 9.

His return comes after his previous spell ended following Sierra Leone’s failure to reach the 2023 AFCON, which led to his dismissal amid a poor run of results. Despite that setback, Keister remains a defining figure in modern Leone Stars history. 

The former Bo Rangers boss previously guided Sierra Leone to the 2021 AFCON finals, ending a 25-year absence from the continental tournament. That period was widely credited for rebuilding the squad’s identity through youth integration and experienced core selection, even though consistency in competitive qualifiers remained a recurring challenge.

According to the SLFA, Keister is now back as interim charge for just two games and would face a transitional window with pressure to assess squad depth, restore tactical structure, and set a clearer competitive direction as attention turns toward AFCON 2027 qualification.

However, reaction among supporters remains divided. One fan in Freetown summed up the sentiment: “He brought us back to AFCON after so many years, but we can not keep going in cycles; we need a clear direction now.”