The Sierra Leone football Association continues to slide deeper into crisis, largely due to arrogance, poor governance, and a blatant disregard for due process by the Football Association (FA).
According to a FIFA letter dated 13 January 2026, titled “Imposition of Funding Restriction,” FIFA formally notified the SLFA of impending sanctions. In the letter, FIFA stated that it will proceed with a 20% restriction on the SLFA’s right to receive FIFA development funding, effective July 2026. This decision is a direct consequence of unresolved governance and legal issues surrounding the SLFA.
As is well known, the SLFA is currently facing multiple cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In these matters, CAS reportedly ordered the SLFA to engage in dialogue with the complainants individuals and groups who sought legal redress after exhausting internal mechanisms. However, the SLFA allegedly refused to comply, operating under the assumption that the complainants lacked the financial capacity to pay legal representatives and meet CAS-related costs.
Contrary to that assumption, reliable sources confirm that the complainants have fully paid all required court fees, and CAS is now preparing to sit and adjudicate on the cases. Furthermore, the complainants’ lawyers have already submitted substantial evidence to the court—evidence which, according to insiders, is both clear and compelling.
One of the most prominent cases before CAS concerns the controversial and allegedly unconstitutional Elective Congress held on 2 August 2025 at the Gateway Hotel in Lungi. That congress was marred by violence, including the widely reported incident in which Benjamin Gordon, commonly known as “Dididor,” was brutally beaten by state security personnel. The incident raised serious concerns about intimidation, abuse of power, and the legitimacy of the electoral process.
Instead of addressing these issues through dialogue, reform, and respect for the rule of law, the SLFA’s confrontational and dismissive posture has now attracted international sanctions, damaging the reputation of Sierra Leone football and threatening vital development funding.
If this culture of arrogance and impunity continues, the ultimate victims will not be administrators—but players, coaches, grassroots programs, and millions of football-loving Sierra Leoneans, whose hopes for a stable and progressive football system continue to fade
