By: Alusine Rehme Wilson
The West African sports loving nation which has huge love for football putting it above the other 48 registered sporting disciplines with the country's National Sports Authority - (NSA), National Senior Men's football team is nicknamed “Leone Stars”.
For the first time since 1994, Leone Stars of Sierra Leone will be taking part in the finals of the TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations-(AFCON) this year for the delayed 2021delayed-2021 African Cup of Nations schedule to take place in Cameroon between January 09 to February 06 where the nation will be looking forward to not spike surprises with their performances, Awoko Newspaper’s Alusine Rehme Wilson opined on the team’s chances and possible starting eleven in their tournament openers against Algeria, one of their three Group-E opponents:
Sierra Leone will battle reigning AFCON Champions Algeria at the Jerome Stadium in Cameroon on 11th January, that match is said to be a real cracker and tracing Sierra Leone’s road to the AFCON finals they possess an incredible chance of winning it's opening group-E clash plus their two other matches respectively against opponents Algeria, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea to progress to the round of 16.
The nation’s which shocked the global football family after their historic 4-4 comeback against the Super Eagles of Nigeria and later played to a barren draw at home in Freetown to pick shape in their Group-L qualification group, later stunned their Benin counterpart 1-0 at the GLC Stadium in Guinea last June to put an end to a 25 years long AFCON jinx can eventually jab more surprises when their begin their campaign in the continental football showpiece against Algeria.
Already, the 28 players that were announced last December as the nation’s final AFCON Squad remain excited and very optimistic in camp to offer their best for their home country.
Apart from the said 28 players who are fully ready to represent Sierra Leone at the AFCON, Head coach John Keister and his backroom staff will depend on the quality blend of both promising as well as experienced players such as Kwame Quee, Isman Kakay, Sulllay Kaikai, Mohamed Noah Kamara, Saidu Mansary, Yeami Duniya Idriss Kanu, skipper Umaro Bangura, John Kamara, Alhaji Kamara, Mohamed Buya Turay, Ibrahim Sesay, Steven Caulker among others to live up to the task of their Nation’s sports loving first gentle man His Excellency the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, who on Tuesday while bidding farewell to the delegation, told the team on behalf of the nation that “all the nation needs is the 2021-TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations-(AFCON) trophy.”
However, Goalkeeper: Mohamed N. Tamara, Defenders: Osman Kakay, Saidu Mansaray, Umaro Bangura(C), Yeami Duniya, Midfielders: John Kamara, Kwame Quee, Sullay Kaikai, Issa Kallon and Forwards: Alhaji Kamara, Mohamed Buya Turay, Kei Kamara could make the cut for Leone Stars starting eleven-(XI) against Algeria.
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