http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns...-rough?cc=4716
Africa's diamonds in the rough
July 10, 2011
When a friend recently asked me wat I associated with Sierra Leone, football was certainly not the 1st thing tat sprung 2 mind. The sport may be the West African nation's most popular by some distance, but I had already replied with "civil war", "blood diamonds" & even "Kanye West" b4 he interjected 2 discuss Sierra Leone's football credentials.
The national team has undergone a resurgence of late &, currently standing ahead of reigning African Nations Cup (AFCON) champions Egypt in the race 2 reach next January's tournament in Gabon & Equatorial Guinea, a 1st appearance @ the finals in 16 years beckons 4 a country whose recent history, in both a footballing & political sense, has been tumultuous.
The friend who posed the aforementioned question works in the capital, Freetown, in an engineering sector tat has continued 2 expand since the 10-year Civil War ended in 2002. Indeed, my initial responses when asked abt Sierra Leone were entirely justifiable: the internal conflict there was widely broadcast as 1 of the bloodiest ever witnessed on the continent & the unusual abundance of amputees provides a tangible, distressing reminder of the atrocities.
However, the UN finally lifted its last remaining post-war sanctions against Sierra Leone in September 2010 & despite reservations remaining abt corruption & its position @ No. 161 of 172 nations on the UN's Human Development Index - measuring a variety of factors including levels of education, income & life expectancy - the economy has experienced substantial growth & the country appears 2 be on an upward trajectory.
Parallels can be drawn with the national football team, which has also begun 2 show marked improvement aft suffering thru a period of stagnation 4 a number of years. Paradoxically, Sierra Leone's greatest successes on the international stage came when the country was deep in political turmoil: helped by a hefty injection of cash fr the ruling military junta, the Leone Stars qualified 4 successive African Nations Cup (ANC) in 1994 & 1996, their only 2 appearances in the competition 2 date.
Football provided many Sierra Leoneans with an escape fr the harsh realities of life in the country during the Civil War but former national team boss John Sherington, who coached the side in 1996, believes tat despite some notable accomplishments, the conflict was detrimental 2 the sport in the country.
"Football went on, we never stopped playing, only during fighting," Sherington told ESPNsoccernet. "It was hard 2 train & play as a team but we played when we could with whoever was around. Yes, the conflict has set the whole country back, but we r getting back 2 the standard we were b4 the war & we hope 2 be better again."
AFCON 1996, in particular, captured the public's imagination in a manner now only reserved 4 the fanatically-followed English Premier League. An 89th-min winner fr 16-year-old striker Mohamed Kallon - who went on 2 play 4 Inter Milan & remains Sierra Leone's undisputed footballing hero - gave the Leone Stars a 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso & their only 3 points, thus far, @ the continental finals.
There was a genuine, though significantly rose-tinted, belief among Sierra Leonean supporters @ the time tat Kallon could emulate the likes of Abedi Pele & George Weah & become Africa's next global superstar. The 4ward never lived up 2 those lofty expectations, though, & his career declined dramatically following his departure fr Inter in 2004. Even his 9 years @ the San Siro never yielded regular 1st-team football & he was farmed out 2 6 other Italian clubs b4 exiting.
Kallon was expected 2 be the 1st in a long line of exciting Sierra Leonean players as interest in the national team reached its zenith in the mid-90s, but aft climbing 2 a record-high FIFA ranking of 51, it appeared Sierra Leone could go no further. There was 2 be no production-line of new Kallons &, by the end of the Civil War, financial support had been stripped back considerably, with reductions in national team funding continuing as priorities understandably turned 2 reviving a ravaged infrastructure.
Subsequent African Nations Cup qualifiers brought heartbreak aft heartbreak: a withdrawal in 1998 & disqualification in 2000 becos of the internal struggles were followed by 1st-round exits 2 Togo in 2002, Congo in 2006 & a haul of just 1 point fr 6 qualifying games in 2008 - a campaign in which they crumbled 2 a lowest ever FIFA ranking of 172.
However, a positive showing in 2004, when Sierra Leone needed a win against Gabon in their final group match 2 advance 2 the finals but fell @ the final hurdle, provided a glimmer of optimism. Tat glimmer burned even brighter 5 years later as the Leone Stars achieved their biggest result since tat memorable night against Burkina Faso in 1996. Kallon was the man 2 again provide the fairytale touch as South Africa were beaten 1-0 in Freetown.
It was the highlight of a qualifying campaign tat again ended in failure but served 2 provoke a greater interest fr fans who had started 2 become disillusioned with both the national team & domestic league, preferring 2 watch ManU & Chelsea on television than Mighty Blackpool & East End Lions in person.
Sierra Leone's new young, hungry squad then showed more than just potential with an encouraging start to 2012 AFCON qualifying, drawing their opening games with traditional continental powers Egypt & South Africa. The Leone Stars now hv a number of foreign-based players in their ranks, with the likes of Partizan midfielder Mohamed Kamara, AC Milan's Rodney Strasser & AIK pair Mohamed/Teteh Bangura among those plying their trade in Europe.
The connection with Milan has obviously placed huge pressure on the shoulders of 21-year-old Strasser 2 replicate the success of Kallon, but it is the Banguras who has been hitting the headlines recently, with Teteh's Swedish goalscoring exploits in particular reportedly attracting the attention of Newcastle United. For former Sierra Leone coach Sherington, the increasing numbers of players honing their trade abroad has been key 2 the development of the national team.
"It will be difficult 2 qualify, but can we do it? Yes, I believe it is possible," Sherington said. "We hv players like Rodney Strasser, who is very talented but he needs time. He needs 2 become stronger & learn more. Playing with people like Seedorf @ Milan will be good 4 him.
"Many of our players r having experience in Europe now & they r able 2 train & play in the right way. We hv talented players in Sierra Leone but we need the facilities 2 improve. Tat is how we will move 4ward."
But just as enthusiasm 4 the national team was growing 1s again, a disappointing 3-1 defeat away 2 Niger in March appeared 2 signal tat the wheels were in danger of falling off. Politics hv unsurprisingly permeated Sierra Leonean football 4 some time & the battle betw the country's Sports Ministry & Football Association (SLFA) has often been a case of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object, with both sides tending 2 hv very different ideas abt how the game should be run.
The latest chapter in tis discord contributed 2 the Niger loss, as sports minister Paul Kamara replaced popular head coach Christian Cole with Swede Lars Olof Mattson just 4 days b4 the crunch fixture, without consulting the SLFA. The Leone Stars' preparations were thrown in2 disarray, with the SFLA refusing 2 recognise Mattson as the new boss & arguments continued in the build-up 2 the return fixture with Niger in Freetown in June, culminating in a bizarre face-off when both coaches announced squads 4 the qualifier.
Ibrahim Sesay, the team affairs manager of domestic giants Mighty Blackpool & the national team, is 1 of those who opposed the Swede's appointment. "We r not happy," Sesay told ESPNsoccernet. "We had our plan, we went 2 Egypt & got a draw & again against South Africa @ home & then we lost against Niger when he came in. Our plan now is broken. We hv our own man already & we will be back in charge soon."
Sesay's final assertion looks a little optimistic, though, as Mattson has been offered a contract 2 take him thru 2 the end of AFCON qualifying. Just b4 the Niger game in Freetown, Cole attempted 2 heal the growing schism in Sierra Leonean football by standing aside 2 allow the Swede 2 take charge. A 1-0 victory followed, courtesy of a goal 4 the highly-rated Teteh Bangura, & Cole's compromise in accepting a demotion 2 assistant helped preserve the Leone Stars' chances of reaching the 2012 finals.
"Working under him (Mattson) is no problem, he is a good coach," Cole told ESPNsoccernet aft the Niger win. "We r working 2gether & we r confident 4 the future. We can qualify, we r playing well & we hv already had good results away in Egypt & against South Africa. It will be difficult 4 us aft our loss in Niger but we will try. We hv a young side & we will be strong 4 the future."
A turbulent past both on & off the pitch suggests it is impossible 2 predict just wat tat future holds. Final qualifying matches @ home 2 Egypt & away 2 South Africa await in September & October, & a less chaotic build-up is necessary if Sierra Leone's football diamonds r 2 get their chance 2 shine next January.