The Sierra Leone Football Association administrative office at Kingtom, Freetown was sealed off earlier on 7th June 2024 for failing to adhere to a court order.
The Court ordered the Sierra Leone Football Association last month to pay two former Leone Stars players, Samuel Barley and Ibrahim Koroma three Million Dollars US$3 million after the court ruled that they were defamed in the 2014 match-fixing allegations.
In 2014, some Leone Stars officials and players, including Samuel Barley and Ibrahim Koroma, were accused of match-fixing and subsequently banned from playing for the national team, which also affected their professional careers.
In 2020, Barley, Koroma, and other officials were cleared of any involvement in the allegations of match-fixing.
In 2021, Barley and Koroma took SLFA and its President to court for defamation.
In 2024, the Court gave a verdict directing SLFA to pay the two former Leone Stars players US$3 million.
The SLFA President, Thomas Daddy Brima in reaction to the court action 7th June 2024 said that efforts are underway to ensure compliance with legal procedures and to restore normalcy but didn’t say whether they will pay the players or appeal the matter in court.
However, the Lawyer of the two players says they are ready for an out-of-court settlement compensation of US$1.5 million each according to a source.
The Genesis of this started following a Match-Fixing scandal that was Levied on some football officials that represented Sierra Leone in the Africa Cup Nations qualifications in 2010 against South Africa where the match ended in goalless draw both countries failed to qualify for the Nations Cup that year.
Just the said match was a release from the Sierra Leone Football Association by then President Madam Isha Johansen said that all the people involved in the said match were in a Match-Fixing.
