Sierra Leone: Football Cancelled as Armed Clashes Prompt National Curfew

An armed attack on a barracks in the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, has led to the postponement of all Sierra Leone Premier League matches, and the cancellation of training, as the President, Julius Maada Bio announced an indefinite curfew whilst gunmen remain on the loose.

Three matches have been postponed on 26 November:

· Kallon vs Kahunla,

· Kholifa Stars vs Diamond Stars,

· Lamboi vs East End Lions.

Military personnel are reportedly dead, but numbers are unconfirmed. The assailants have been described as themselves wearing military fatigues.

There has been no official word on the reason for the attack, but some sources have described it as an attempted coup against the Government.

Prof Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, a scholar, political affairs cluster chairman at the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council, Chairman of the President’s Special Investigations Committee and Chief Executive of Luawa FC, a Freetown-based football club admitted he did not know whether this was a coup or a mutiny within the army, but said:

“We have concerns about the safety and security of everyone, we do not know who is behind it; we do not know who is carrying guns.

“The coup is going to affect Sierra Leone. It will shock the economy and investors will run away. The trust of foreign aid investment is going to dwindle.

“We should not be dealing with coups in this country. We have come a long way: ten years of brutal civil war, Ebola, Corona, and demonstrations that led to the loss of 26 lives. I think we should do better as a nation.”

On football, Prof Abdulai said, “this is going to have a huge impact on football, the fixtures and the league.”

Training for the club has been cancelled, and the CEO is conscious preparations will be hampered by wider events.

Luawa are due to play on 2 December against Freetonians SLIFA if the curfew is lifted, but at the time of writing, military personnel are still fighting pockets of resistance outside the city, and a clear end is not yet in sight.