June 4, 2021
By: James Kamara-Manneh
For more than 8yrs the eligibility of the Sierra Leonean-Lebanese born, Rodney Edmond Michael has been riddled with hate, discrimination and sabotage.
There has been a barrage of unprintable things said about his personality and family. In spite of ill will and dark forces that have been pulling him down, he remain reolue to his wall these he held firm to his belief, desire and passion for thriving football in Sierra Leone. He never allowed distractors to water down his dream of becoming the next Sierra Leone Football Association President. He had fought a fine battle just like a rooster protecting it young from been puck by some mischievous birds, whom were bent bringing down our second most important activity that brings the nation together.
Earlier in 2021, the Former Chairman of the Bo District Football Association (BDFA) continued his fight to lead the SLFA, but with stiff resistant he filed a case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for the wrongful disqualification of his candidacy. On the 25th March, 2021 the Ethics board of the Sierra Leone football Association unfairly disqualified this man. On the other, SLFA’s Ethics board recommended that all aggrieved candidates have the right to appeal to the Court of arbitration for sport, which is an independent institution, based in Lausanne, involved in resolving legal disputes in the field of sports.
In 2013, under the directive of some politically connected individuals who spearheaded the illegal removal of Rodney Michael from the SLFA elective congress that was conducted by a normalization committee set up by FIFA and the government. That year as SLFA congress was fast approaching, some politically desperados were working behind the scenes again to see the illegal removal of the most popular football contender Rodney Michael.
Despite the world football governing body (FIFA) was kicking against political meddlesome in football Isha Johansen has been using desperate politicians to manipulate things in her favor.
Football enthusiasts have been calling on the government not to repeat what the previous government did by aiding the electoral and ethics committee to disqualify people illegally.
The last election conducted by the Sierra Leone Football Association was full of abnormalities and political interference which sees Isha Johansen went unopposed, this time such will not repeat.
Three presidential candidates have been nominated to contest in the forthcoming SLFA election and Rodney Edmond Michael has been ticked as the man to grab the presidential ticket in an election set to hold in Makeni in the next 48hrs.
Rodney Michael’s popularity in the game of football has been view as a threat not only by the current Executive of the Sierra Leone football Association but in the corridor of past and present politicians.
Many football enthusiasts believed that for 8yrs this footballing nation was forced to accept a rigged electoral process, influenced by politics, marred by bribery and corruption, campaigned on racism, the manipulation carried out by our brothers and sisters who were responsible to ensure fairness and a legitimate process.
Once again the hew of fresh air can be breath into Football and the flair of decency will be felt after electing a football administrator, an indigene, the most loved candidate who is believe will take our game and this nation to more higher heights.
The calmness of the dust on Rodney by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has declares him eligible to be elected into any Executive position of SLFA, and that they find no concrete evidence that he has breach FIFA\CAF ethical regulations. That the sanction issued against him by CAS could not in any way obstruct his participation in the upcoming elective congress.
In his words of confirmation, Rodney expressed gratitude to the international sporting body for bringing sanity to the game, and described it as a war against injustice and impunity. He further described the public as his strongest pillar of support, “together we have fought for eight year, together we earn Justice, and together we have won the war against injustice and Impunity.”
The declaration proved that the allegations that were levied upon this noble personality were baseless, unfounded and fake. It’s time we stand against incompetency in this country. For those who were members of the ethics board Sierra Leone we say ‘Kushe n Tenki’ to prove your selves inept and biased.
On the 25th March, 2021 the Ethics Board declares that 4out of the 5 contestants for the position of President were eligible to contest. They were Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai (conditional), Thomas Daddy Brima, Isha Johansen and Kofi Deen Nyakoh (conditional). Which means the former Premier League Board Chairman Rodney Michael is disqualified from contesting.
That was the fourth time Rodney Michael has failed in SLFA elections. That is, Rodney ran once as Vice President in 2004, and as once as President in 2008 and failed in successive attempts against Team Nahim Khadi. He has also run twice as President in 2013 and 2021 against Team Isha Johansen and failed in successive attempts. The report further revealed that no candidate were qualified for the position of Vice President, which means that 3 out of 4 were declared ineligible, while Anthony Navo Jnr withdrew from the race.
Ironically, the summary report did not provide detailed reasons for the disqualification of the candidates nominated for various positions.
It is time to shake off the dust, time to take what rightfully belongs to a born and breaded Sierra Leonean, the time to continue lifting the image of this great land.
Rodney Edmond Michael your time can never be this good!!!