By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) in a Press Release sent to the SLFA on 21st December 2022 slammed a four-match ban on FC Kallon Owner and team Doctor Chernor Cidy Bah.
The Press Release from CAF, stare that “in the case of Match 68, Future FC of (Egypt) vs FC Kallon which played in the frame of the CAF Confederation Cup, 2022-2023, the CAF Disciplinary Board on Monday 2022 met and took a decision to.
(1) Suspended Coach Mohamed Kallon as well as the Team doctor Mr. Chernor Cidy Bah for their next four matches (4) CAF inter- Club matches.
(2) The Board also decided to impose upon each of the two FC Kallon officials a financial sanction of (10,000 USD) ten thousand dollars each, for their offensive behavior toward the Referees of the match. The said amount must be paid within (60) days of the date the decision was taken (28th November 2022).
According to CAF, the match officials wrote in their reports that (A) the head coach of Kallon FC Mohamed Kallon abused the Referee during the match for which he expelled the following two Yellows cards. The report further state that he continued to insult the Referee even after his expulsion.
(B) the team Doctor Dr. Chernor Cidy Bah was also expelled at the end of the match for Verbally insulting the Referees.
The stared that decision was earlier legally open to be contested by the suspended officials but has now become final following the expiration of the appeal deadline.
FC Kallon Team Manager Foday Darboh said as a club we know about the Suspension of Coach Mohamed Kallon the team doctor and the four-match ban for the past four weeks, but it is deliberate that we decided not to contest the decision from CAF Disciplinary Board, because Football is an emotional game wherein we have seen bigger coach have been sent out of the pitch or face a common suspension in Football across the World even in Europe it happens there with bigger clubs. Noting the decision will not be contested is deliberate from them and was triggered by the Match Officials who officiated the match in Egypt.
He affirmed that “when the match was about kick-off they went out for warm-up ahead of Kickoff and they were given match balls which were brand new and good for the pitch of play and adapt to the pitch they use them and prepared the team.” He added that after the warm-up the Match Officials changed the match balls completely and give out the old match balls which slow to the playing surface simply because they want to slow the match in favor of the host team, the move by the Officials force the Head Coach Mohamed Kallon and the Team Doctor to protest in the field of play because of the match balls.”
He further that as a club they are ready to pay the fine from CAF adding that what they spend in the Preliminary rounds was much more than the fine they face because they spent 200,000 dollars and ten thousand dollars cannot be compared as they are ready to pay the amount because they want to continue to partake in CAF inter- Club competitions and at present, the Club is heading to a new trajectory and confident that they have players to qualified the team to CAF Inter- Club tournaments.
Foday Darboh said their slow start in the Sierra Leone Premier League is not worrisome, because they will bounce back and eventually win the championship, the players are there to do the needful.
FC Kallon is among the clubs that have a structured side that has all categories as a Club and in 2006 they lifted the trophy of the Sierra Leone Premier League and have represented Sierra Leone four times in the CAF inter- Clubs competition.
