LEONE STARS HAVE SHONE DURING THE REIGNS OF DIFFERENT PRESIDENTS , SO LET US STOP POLITICIZING SPORTS
By Kabs Kanu
Let us stop politicizing sports. Leone Stars are not in Cameroun for Africa Nations Cup 2022 because of President Bio. Leone Stars are there because they proved their mettle in the qualifying series, almost eliminating the likes of Nigeria, who now respect us.
LEONE STARS achieved laurels under different presidents.
We beat Ghana for the first time , 2-1 , on January 31, 1971 under President Siaka Stevens at Brookfields Stadium., when Kama Dumbuya scored that wonderful goal in the opening minutes against Africa’s best goalkeeper then, Robert Mensah.
We beat them again in 1972 , 3-1, under Stevens during what I will call the JEBOH SHERRINGTON MATCH and in Accra , we beat them again, 2-1 , in 1987 , when we eliminated them from the Africa Nations Cup under President Joseph Momoh.In those days, to beat Ghana and eliminate them from the Africa Nations Cup was equivalent to winning the World Cup. Leone Stars did it, after previously also eliminating Liberia and we got to the third round of the Africa Nations Cuo for the first time.
We beat Ghana again 3-1 in Accra in 1993 in a match made possible by President John Jerry Rawlings. We beat Nigeria in 1970 under President Stevens and in again in 1972 when Kolleh Dumbuya scored that magnificent goal.
We eliminated Nigeria from the Africa Nations Cup in the early 200s under President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. We also beat Tunisia and Algeria and Mighty Blackpool reached the quarter -finals of the Africa Cup of Champions during the reign of President Momoh in the late 1980s.
Sierra Fisheries’ exploits in the Africa Cup of Champions and WAFU Cup were during the Siaka Stevens regime when Fisheries went to Nigeria and beat and eliminated one of Africa’s greatest teams, Enugu Rangers from the Cup of Champions. I think they also eliminated Sekondi Hassacas from the WAFU Cup and lost the third round match in the Champions Cup to Bilima of Zaire.
SIerra Leone almost won the Africa Zone 2 competition in 1983, reaching the finals and losing only in a penalty shootout to Senegal ,when Joseph Toby missed his own penalty. But in the 1990s, under the NPRC and tenure of two different leaders—-valentine Strasser and Maada Bio, we won Zone 2 championships twice.
During the reign of President Ernest Koroma, East End Lions went all the way, eliminating team after team and qualified for the WAFU Cup final. It was during his reign that we also beat Egypt, South Africa ( Eliminating them ) and drew with Cameroun in Yaoundé . It was also in Koroma’s time that FC Kallon eliminated Nigeria’s Champions, Young Boys,from the Africa Champions Cup.
So, Leone Stars’ soccer achievements , modest as they are, but very significant for the size of our country, are generously spread through the reigns of different heads of states.
We are Sierra Leoneans. When the national flag is unfolded and it starts flying high, let us support our nation proudly from the basis of purely nationalistic passions.
Let us always show that we are proud of the green, white and blue and the Lion Mountains. It is not about SLPP, APC or NGCor PMDC. It is about Sierra Leone.
Let us keep our political depravities and proclivities out of sports.
