By: Alusine Rehme Wilson
Following a goalless friendly encounter between Ethiopia and Sierra Leone at the Bahir Dar Stadium last Thursday, the Assistant coach-1 of Sierra Leone Senior Men’s team “Leone Stars” Amidu Karim who guided a 23-man squad dominant of home-based players against their Ethiopia counterpart says the game was a good test for his side as they heightens preparation for the 2021-TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations finals.
Speaking to Awoko Newspaper, Karim said Ethiopia is a very formidable side but expressed delight that they were unable to edge his dominated home-based side, an outcome he believes is encouraging for his local players.
"For a completely dominant squad of local based players to withstand such pressure from a formidable Ethiopia side in a friendly cracker is indeed bravery from our players who were also swift to adopt our game plan. Our players did prove to be devoted and very eager to deliver for the nation at all times even when there are no competitive matches in the country since April when the country’s male top tier was halted.
With such performance from this set of home-based players, it is now clear that they make up a fine blend together with overseas based players for our final AFCON squad ahead of our third appearance," avowed the former Sierra Leone International and Leone stars defender.
Sierra Leone is in the same group with Algeria, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea. The four nations will battle for two slots from Group-E on January 11, 16 and 20 respectively in a bid to progress to the round of 16 in Africa’s biggest male showpiece.
By: Abdulrahman Barrie The U17 football teams from Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau have been disqualified from the 2024 U17 African Cup of Nations competition in Senegal after failing the mandatory MRI test scans. These scans, which determine the age of the players, revealed discrepancies that led to their removal from the tournament. The disqualification follows changes to Article 27.4 of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations regulations, which have tightened the criteria and enforcement of age verification measures. The updated rules stipulate that if a team has more than four players deemed ineligible after the MRI eligibility test, the entire team will be disqualified. The MRI tests, used to enforce age restrictions in youth competitions, are crucial for ensuring fairness. Unfortunately, the teams from these three nations did not meet the age criteria, resulting in their disqualification. This decision has come as a significant disappointment for the young players and their fans, w...

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