The Sierra Leone National Football Referees Organization (SLNFRO) has on 20th January 2023 boycotted Freetown City Council Football Club vs FC Kallon match that was set to play at the Brima Attougia Mini Stadium.
According to Press Release from the Referees Organization, it stated that
“As an organization, we have seized to officiate all FC Kallon matches, from the senior team to the junior category and that came following a Social Media message from the CEO and Owner Mohamed Kallon posted on social media that state that reads
“One of the referees told him that even if he has a PhD in coaching his team will not win any match while he is officiating”.
They also state that this is not the first time Mohamed Kallon is putting up such an attitude towards Referees, the last he slapped Madam Zainab A. Wilson, a Referees Assessor on the 27th of November 2022 at the Police Field in the Kingtom.
Against that backdrop, the Sierra Leone National Football Referees Organization put on hold the Officiating of all FC Kallon games in all categories.
Freetown City Council is set to host FC Kallon at the Brima Attougia Mini Stadium in the Sierra Leone Premier League, the two teams went for the match and even the match officials designate for the match went to the match venue, but they had a call from the Organization to boycott the said match base on what is stated early on in the Press Release.
Mohamed Kallon said what he posted on Social Media is the exact words of the match official; nothing was added to it, adding that the said statement is not good for the Modern game of football.
A Press Release from the Sierra Leone Premier League Board regrets to inform Premier League clubs and the public that the match between Freetown City Council Football and FC Kallon which was scheduled for Friday, 20th January 2023 did not play.
It forward that, whilst we investigate the reason that the match was unable to play, all other matches on the fixtures would go as planned. Notwithstanding the board will notify the public as to the rescheduling of the said match in the future.
The Sierra Leone Football Association in Press Release condemns the match boycott by the referees and vows to investigate.
It stated that the Football Association has respective bodies well-structured to look into issues of personal grievance without any person or group of persons having to hold the game to ransom.
Moses Conteh the Assistant head coach of Freetown City Council Football Club said “As a team, we feel disappointed about what happened in today’s match, we had prepared for the match to take on FC Kallon, and the spirit of the players before Kick-Off, but with has happened has changed the entire mood of the players”.
He further that we are busy warming up ahead of Kick-off when the Secretary told us that the match is not going to play, because the match officials said based on what FC Kallon CEO posted on social media that why the said match has been called off.
He called on the Authority concerned to handle the current and fixed it as soon as possible.
On match day this medium spoke to Fans of the FC Kallon at the Brima Attiugia Mini Stadium:
Manjo a female fan said “it doesn’t go down well with me on normal grounds I came far off just to support and watch my team when they are in action playing, I am surprised all of a sudden to note that the match is not going to play, am not happy with what has happened and it not good for Football in this modern days of the sport. she noted we were never notified that the match is not going to play which is a big lapse from the Premier League at least they could have communicated this matter to us as a team”.
Mohamed Kamara, a fan of FC Kallon said the decision by the match officials was completely wrong and that it is decisions like these that bring the beautiful game into disrepute, noting that the current trend is sad for Sierra Leone Football.
Abdulai Haroun Turay fan of Freetown City Council FC condemned the unprofessional act by the match officials. Noting that the club has spent huge sums on the match preparation, now see what they received from the match Officials.