International Football
FIFA’S SIERRA LEONE MATCH-FIXING INVESTIGATION HEADS FOR FREETOWN
BY CHRIS OBUKWELU.nn nn nnFIFA’s four-man investigation unit probing potential match fixing in Sierra Leonean football will finally arrive in Freetown on Sunday.nn nnThe panel is due to commence the investigation after extended delays due to disruptions by some elements determined to thwart the investigations.nn nnEvery time the FIFA investigative unit has been set to arrive in Freetown there had been some disruptions or confusion with the latest being the suspension of the SLFA president, Madam Isha Johansen and secretary general Christopher Kamara.nn nnThe match-fixing inquiry includes a World Cup qualifier between Sierra Leone and South Africa in 2008 that ended in a goalless draw.nn nnSince 2014, eleven officials and four players have been suspended by Sierra Leone’s FA pending investigation, with all having denied wrongdoing.nn nnAccording to a letter signed by FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura, “the four-man FIFA unit is headed by Jean-Samuel Leuba, a lawyer. He is joined by Michael Emde, Peter Limacher and Paul Scotney, a former detective who has extensive experience of investigating corruption in sport.nn nn“FIFA has established an independent investigation committee to conduct an inquiry into allegations of match-fixing within football in Sierra Leone in general and, in particular, match-fixing within the Sierra Leone FA,” said a FIFA statement.nn nn“The duties of the independent committee are to investigate the allegations and provide a comprehensive report to the FIFA Members Associations Committee in order to allow for an informed decision on the matter.”nn nnThe current Sierra Leone FA executive, with its president Isha Johansen, has long pushed for a match-fixing inquiry to go ahead in addition to other illegal activities, human trafficking and violations of FIFA rules and regulations.nn nnJohansen’s determination to clean up Sierra Leone football and usher in a new era of football development and progress has often been met with stiff resistance.nn nnThe resistance has even led to a boycott of the national league as some teams were convinced not to play under the current SLFA executive, several attempts have also been made to replace the current executive but all were deemed to be in contravention of either SLFA or FIFA statutes.nn nn nnCentral to the investigation is the 2010 World Cup qualifier that ended goalless between South Africa and Sierra Leone in Atteridgeville, South Africa, in June 2008.nn nnFIFA will consider lifting Sierra Leone’s suspension from international football after the corruption case against the country’s FA President Isha Johansen is concluded in court.nn nnEarlier this month, FIFA officials, including Fatma Samoura, met with Johansen and the Sierra Leone government to address the issue.nn nn”FIFA will wait for the completion of the trial before further measures can be considered, including the lifting of the suspension, if deemed appropriate,” said a FIFA statement.nn nnJohansen is facing trial along with Sierra Leone FA (SLFA) General Secretary Christopher Kamara. Both deny the charges.nn nnThe Sierra Leone government sent a high-level delegation, including Vice-president Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, attorney general and Minister of Justice Priscilla Schwartz and Lansana Gberie, Sierra Leone’s ambassador to Switzerland.nn nnFIFA suspended Sierra Leone two weeks ago because of third-party interference in the running of the SLFA, saying that the ban would be lifted once Johansen and Kamara are reinstated.nn nnThe ban came after the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) set aside Johansen and Kamara and handed over control of the SLFA to vice-president Brima Mazola Kamara and assistant secretary general Abdul Rahman Swarray in direct contravention of FIFA statutes.nn nnThe ACC says that under Sierra Leone law, both Johansen and Kamara must vacate their posts until their case on corruption-related charges concludes. But many Sierra Leoneans have questioned the application of the law, which is meant for public entities and public officials when SLFA is an NGO that is affiliated with FIFA, a private entity.nn nnThe alleged corruption charges against Johansen were drastically reduced in court from ten to three, and from four to three for Kamara.nn nnSierra Leone’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana, which were set to be played between 11-14 October, were cancelled and will not be rescheduled because of the suspension.nn nnAs a result Sierra Leone is out of the competition. Other outstanding issues that have led to a long-running dispute within the SLFA were discussed during the Zurich meeting and resolutions were taken.nn nn nn nnThese include a key match-fixing investigation of 15 players and officials who have been indefinitely suspended since 2014, the conduct of integrity tests on elected officials and a roadmap that will lead to the election of new SLFA executive committee.nn
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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