By: Ilyasa Baa
Youths of Parade Ground and Ascension Town in Freetown have received footballs and bibs to help them in their football career as the game is known to have changed lives around the world.
Receiving the items, the beneficiaries referred to the donor as the man of the moment having come to their aide despite the current global economic trend. They said footballs and training gears have been challenging adding that his intervention has been timely.
Having served as Captain for the Under 17 national team, Yusuf Kamara aka Yu Kay, currently referred to as the Man of the Moment said it has been his dream to inspire young guys play professional football in the country. He said the youths have passion for the game and there is need for for them to have a helping hand. He said he grew up in Ascension Town where he had his first team. “I know what these guys are going through”, he noted, adding that the responsibility to boost the game and make the boys happy does not lie on government alone but requires a concerted effort, he admonished.
“The Man of the Moment” was a Captain for Central Parade FC as well and during the handing over ceremony, called on the youths to be focused and laws abiding. He warned them against taking illegal substances noting that it would not take them anywhere but to self-destruction and under development in their lives.
Yusuf Kamara ran through the Under 20 and 23 levels in Sierra Leone after becoming the Captain of the Under 17 national team in 2005 before proceeding to Sweden where he played professional football for IF Elfsborg.
“I also have passion for our music industry and the talented youths trying to do their thing”, Kamara told A-Z newspaper over the weekend. He said he does not only have plan to open a football academy but has plan to set up a dynamic recording studio to assist upcoming artists especially those who do not have the upper hand to pay studio fees.
Popular Hip Hopper in Central Freetown, Bone Na Throat, described the gesture of the Old Edwardian Player as a step in the right direction in promoting football and the music industry. He said Kamara’s brand, known as Man of the Moment, is a force to reckon with as far as clothing is concerned. He expressed the need for Sierra Leoneans to rally behind the Man of the Moment to develop the football and music industries of Sierra Leone .
Kamara retired from International football in 2009 when he injured his left ankle. He currently works and resides in Sydney, Australia.
