By: Alusine Rehme Wilson
Wusum Stars Football Club of Makeni has uniquely put an end to their age long unhealthy football rivalry with Bo Rangers Football Club.
This development has not only spotlight the power of sports, mainly football as a unifying tool but has also shown how hospitable and peaceful residents of Makeni could be as they joined hands with the Wusum Stars National Fan Base to “emotionally” welcome their Bo Rangers players, supporters and officials.
Apart from the locals excitement to celebrate two of their sons of the soils from Makeni namely: Saidu “Malian” Mansaray and Suffian “Tormentor” Kalokoh who’ve been playing for Bo Rangers and did play crucial roles to the team’s remarkable history of winning the Sierra Leone Premier League back to back in the last two seasons, the people of Makeni dominated by Supporters of Wusum Stars, mounted ply cards with serial emotional messages symbolising peace, love and togetherness between them and Bo Rangers.
It was the first time in the three seasons that supporters of both clubs who’ve considered themselves as bitter rivals on regional and political grounds which was the root cause of their famous standoff at the Bo Stadium during the return leg match in the 2022/23 Sierra Leone Premier League, have publicly smoked the peace pipe.
For Bo Rangers, the reception they received from Wusum Stars and the people of Makeni was “very emotional,” according to Rangers Spokesman Solomon Demby who explained in an interview with Awoko Newspaper that they as a club felt at home over their last outing to Makeni.
“Our Wednesday match in Makeni which we won 2-1 has been recorded in our history books as the most competitive and friendly meeting between us and Wusum Stars. Our Chairman Babadi Kamara who led the whole delegation which comprises over 300 fans, players and officials from Bo to Makeni was the first to react after the emotional welcome. He said he’s impressed and hopes to further strengthen the ties that exist between us and Wusum Stars,” Demby further underscored.
Similarly, Wusum Stars Assistant Secretary General Musa Santigie Kamara while reacting to the development praised the national fan base of his club and specially thanked the people of Makeni for leading the peace process between Wusum Stars and Bo Rangers.
Kamara disclosed that the fans surprised them as top management officials of Wusum Stars by coming together to welcome Bo Rangers with kind messages of peace.
“The impact of their gesture is immense, apart from increasing the match attendance on that day it set the bar higher for others to follow, as well as highlighted that irrespective of our individual differences or competitiveness, we can still be united and prosper,” he conclusively explained.
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