By- Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)
The male national football team, Leone Stars is in hot waters to qualify to Ivory Coast for the AFCON 2024. The table is tough with critical standing. Nigeria has played 5 games with 12 points, Guinea Bissau 5 games 10 points, Sierra Leone 5 games 5points and Sao Tome and Principle 5 games 1 point and only one match remains to seal the dream alive.
Over two decades, Leone Stars have struggled to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations due to poor preparation, poor performance, financial setbacks, and intolerant administrative inefficiency under the previous rule which allowed only 16 Nations.
That means that only the host, group winners and the three best second-place teams automatically qualified for the competition by then. In many campaigns, Leone Starts scraped out a second place finish, frustrating and demoralizing the players and football lovers.
The contrary continues to live in hope and unknown players, if ever players worked.
It was Morocco where newly elected CFA President Ahmed pushed a willing congress to adopt the changes. The controversial change was not restricted to changes in the calendar, but also included the expansion of the tournament from 16-24 nations, a much less controversial amendment and one very popular with smaller countries that have struggled from years to qualify for the nations Cup.
One major beneficiary of the amended rule is arguably Africa’s most passionate footballing nation, Sierra Leone, whose national team has failed to qualify for a major tournament since it achieved that back-to-back in 1994 and 1996 and recently in Cameroon 2022 AFCON with a woeful performance.
CAF also took the decision to implement the rule change immediately, so it was effective for the AFCON 2012 competition in Cameroon.
It was massive boost for Sierra Leone and Leone Stars placed in group (A) in the ongoing AFCON qualifications group stage with Nigeria, Guinea Bissau and Sao Tome Main Principle.
Many saw it as a biggest challenge for Leone Starts to make it in Ivory Coast come 2024 AFCON.
Even though, Head Coach John Keister and his Technical team are optimistic this time around to make the difference, encouraging football fans at home and aboard for support and while soccer pundits are uncomfortable with the narrow qualification against Benin last season due to poor performance of the team.
Though, they were fortunate to be part of the 24 nations. 90% of Sierra Leoneans are not sure of the standard of the players both foreign base and home base players because majority are not playing top flight football in Europe especially in the English Premier League, Spanish League, France League one etc.
Whereas, some players are presently unattended; and the Sierra Leone Premier League is still sub-standard within the sub-region in West Africa.
However, age is currently telling on key players in the team, Captain Steven Caulker, John Kamara, Buya Turay and others. Plenty are above 35 years now; and Africa football highly base on physical fitness, age, experience and huge energy nowadays.