By Mohammed Fajah Barrie
BBC Sport, Freetown |
 Tolla Thompson's federation is in chaos |
It seems fitting that the Sierra Leone Football Association (Slafa) should be based on Battery Street in Freetown.
For the simple reason that the game in the West African nation is currently taking a battering.
A long-standing impasse within the football fraternity in Sierra Leone is wrecking the game and has been doing so since the middle of last year.
In fact, so deep are the country's administrative problems that Premier League football has not been played in Sierra Leone for eight months as a settlement to the dispute is sought.
The crisis started last year when clubs refused to restart the league in protest against the FA's postponement of its annual August congress.
And when the clubs asked Slafa to hold the meeting, at which key decisions were scheduled to be taken, in September, the body insisted that the event would not take place until early 2004.
The 2003 congress has still to take place and matters were compounded in February when a Freetown High Court judge ruled that the congress should be delayed once again.
This followed an injunction sought by stakeholders - which include clubs, coaches, referees and sports writers - who want a consultative conference to be staged before the congress.
Last month, the stakeholders also went to the Freetown High Court seeking a declaration that clarified which constitution the FA should be working with.
A difference of opinion exists between the various stakeholders, split between those based in the capital and those in the country's provinces, with those based in Freetown alleging that the FA is working with three different constitutions.
Yet Slafa secretary-general Alimu Bah denies the claims.
"Without prejudicing the outcome of the matter in court, saying we are using three documents is very unfortunate because we have (only) one constitution," Bah told BBC Sport.
"The people that are talking about using three documents have served this executive under this same constitution and are only complaining now because they want to discredit this executive."
Last month, the Freetown-based stakeholders successfully sought the injunction preventing the congress, where it had been widely anticipated that Slafa vice-president Joseph S. Kelfala would be elected unopposed as the new president under the constitution Bah is claiming is legal.
Kelfala is the candidate favoured by outgoing Slafa president Justice Tolla Thompson, who has been in office since 1996.
The division between the Freetown clubs and those in the provinces has arisen as they argue over which executive should take them to the elective congress.
 Sports minister Dennis Bright feels the time has come to act |
And the provincial clubs disagree with the suggestion from their Freetown-based counterparts that the current Slafa executive should be dissolved and an interim body formed to lead the various clubs to congress.
"We do not recognise the Justice Tolla Thompson-led executive because they can't function constitutionally and we'll never kick football again under them," said Foday Turay, secretary general of the (Freetown-based) Council of Clubs.
Brima Jalloh, public relations officer of provincial club Wusum Stars of Bombali, told BBC Sport that they have been marginalized by their Freetown counterparts and thus will not support any of their decisions.
It has been claimed that the provincial clubs only back the current executive because if Mr Kelfala is elected, he will be the first Slafa president to have come from the provinces.
Minister of Sports Dr Dennis Bright, who has failed in several attempts to solve the impasse, has now grown tired of the stalemate.
"Enough is enough," Dr. Bright told BBC Sport.
"The people of Sierra Leone and the footballers have been deprived of their favourite sport for too long and it is now time for me to take action."
"Fifa may say politicians are not allowed to interfere in football but I think the point has come for me to act because the game has been paralysed due to infighting."
What action the minister will take is not yet known but his pronouncement suggests he may wish to dissolve the current FA executive.
MMIX
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Sierra Leone has been deprived of its favourite sport for too long and it is time for me to take action 