Sierra Leone clubs will not compete in next year's African clubs competitions, the country's football ruling body, SLFA, said.

It said on-going renovation works at the National Stadium in the capital of Freetown will not be finished in time to host the matches.

SLFA officials quoted the Chinese company in charge of the renovation as saying the stadium will be ready for matches after next June

Africa's clubs competitions -- Champions League, Cup Winners and Caf Cup -- begin in May.

SLFA had previously said its clubs will compete in next year's competitions before the recent change of mind.

It will be the fifth year in a row that Sierra Leone clubs will be missing from continental clubs competitions.

They had not played in African clubs competitions for many reasons, chiefly due to poor finance.

Ports Authority of Freetown were the last Sierra Leone club to take part in an African club.

In 1996, they were beaten in the quarter-finals of the Caf Cup by Kenya's Breweries.

Refugee camp

Sierra Leone's top clubs - Mighty Blackpool, Old Edwardians and East End Lions - which were preparing for a return to the continent were disappointed with the news.

The National Stadium, the battle ground of major international matches in the past, is the only standard stadium in the country.

The national team, Leone Stars, played all their matches at the stadium this year, before it was handed over to the Chinese in August.

After a military coup in 1997, the stadium was taken over as a refugee camp and the football league ground to a halt.

Sierra Leone, with exciting players like Mohammed Kallon of Italian club Inter Milan, is also recovering from a civil war that crippled the economy.

In November, the Leone Stars, could not compete in the regional Amilcar Cabral Cup tournament held in neighbouring Mali, due to lack of money.