July 13, 2021
By Mohamed Abu Conteh
Sierra Leone National team, Leone Stars has resumed training ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted in Cameroon next year January 2022.
According to John Keister the head coach of the national team” It is timely for the home base players to start training because as the Country`s domestic league, the Premier league has been suspended indefinitely with no avenue for the home players to prove themselves, for that reason the technical team decided to call on the home base players to start training”.
He affirmed that a total of 31 home base players have been invited to start training and they are going to work and concentrate on them.
The coach said as they progress by, the number is going to be cut down to be added with professional players, then they will take it from there as they head for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroun.
He added that most of the 31 players that are currently training with national team are drawn from the just suspended premier league.
John Keister said even though they started training in the raining season, they cannot stop the training because the tournament is not too far and they need early preparation, if the rains are too much in Freetown they have three alternative Venues in the Provinces where they can take the 31 players and get them prepared ahead of time.
John Keister confirmed that the technical team is looking for the possibility of having Friendly matches before going for the Africa Cup of Nations that will only be possible with the support of the Government, because they needed three or four Friendly matches as that will get them to get the squad together for the tournament.
The Leone Stars coach said as a technical team they want to look after the needs of the players they have and try to address the areas they have problems with before leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations, because they want to give each and every player the opportunity to show what they can delivery for their birth Country.
John Keister said if there is no player without a club it high time they started to get clubs before the tournament.
“Because if there is a player without a club it will be very difficult for that player to be part of the team going for the AFCON”, he noted.
He warned that if professional players are back home and failed to join the team and are without clubs it will be difficult for those players to join the team.
John Keister concluded that as it stands now they are looking at players from Europe who are playing actively to be part of the squad.