Bribery Scandal Rocks SLFA …Ahead Of Extraordinary Congress

By Bei Santigie T Kamara
With just days remaining before the highly anticipated Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) Extraordinary Congress on April 5th, a shocking bribery scandal has rocked the country’s football leadership. Reports have surfaced alleging that the incumbent SLFA president is offering district executives $1,000 bribes to manipulate the attendance list, an underhanded move designed to secure total control over the congress and its outcomes.
Insider reports suggest that district executives across the country are being offered $1,000 each in exchange for signing what sources describe as a fraudulent attendance registration to manipulate the congress by sidelining legitimate district chairmen and ensuring that only handpicked loyalists, those willing to rubber-stamp the incumbent’s agenda, are given a seat at the table.
According to multiple sources, the scheme is designed to guarantee that motions favoring the current leadership pass without resistance. Instead of allowing the legally recognized district chairmen to participate in the congress, certain executives, many of whom were never elected, are allegedly being pressured to sign attendance sheets ahead of time in exchange for cash.
“This is outright corruption,” an anonymous district executive member told Citizen Radio. “They know they don’t have the support of the real football stakeholders, so they are buying loyalty with cash. It’s a betrayal of football governance.” If these allegations hold, it would mean that the very foundation of the upcoming congress has been compromised, raising questions about the legitimacy of any decisions made on April 5th.
The allegations suggest that the incumbent president is not willing to leave anything to chance, especially with growing discontent over his administration’s handling of football affairs in the country. By stacking the congress with loyalists, he can reportedly push through any decisions necessary to extend his influence, even if it comes at the cost of fairness and transparency.
The revelations have sparked potential questions among football stakeholders, and many are now calling for urgent intervention from FIFA’s regional oversight body. Some are even pushing for a full audit of the congress attendance list to expose any fraudulent participation.
“It is a serious violation of electoral integrity,” said a senior football administrator who requested anonymity. “If the congress is rigged from the start, then every decision made will be illegitimate. We need an urgent investigation before April 5th to prevent a complete breakdown of trust in the SLFA because this kind of manipulation will undermine the credibility of the SLFA.”
The congress is expected to address key governance issues within the framework of the country’s football governance, making its composition crucial to the future of football in Sierra Leone. However, if participation is determined by bribes rather than the legitimate democratic process, stakeholders argue that any decisions made on April 5th will lack legitimacy.
However, some stakeholders have even hinted at boycotting the congress if the allegations are not properly addressed, warning that any fraudulent attendance list would invalidate the legitimacy of the gathering.
With just days remaining before the congress, the football family anxiously awaits a response with legal experts weighing in, there are already suggestions that affected district chairmen could seek a court injunction to block the congress from taking place under its current structure.
“If these allegations are true, this would amount to a serious case of electoral fraud,” said a legal analyst. “Any district chairmen who have been sidelined through bribery and manipulation have the right to take legal action to restore fairness.”
Should the matter end up in court, the entire SLFA congress could be thrown into disarray, further complicating an already volatile situation in Sierra Leone football.
As the clock ticks down to April 5th, and if these allegations go unchallenged, it could set a dangerous precedent, one where cash, not credibility, decides the future of the game.
Responding to the concerns raised above, the Personal Assistant to the SLFA President David Turner said that the allegations are baseless and unfounded and that it is a political gimmick.
He affirmed that as an executive, they always go by the books.