By Hassan Osman Kargbo
The Central One Football Association (COFA), one among the leading football associations in Sierra Leone, is set to kick start their super Inter-Community League on Sunday 20 August 2023, at the Parade Field, Off Circular Road, central Freetown.
Speaking to Forum News SL, Mohamed Yapo Sillah, Vice Chairman and Director of Competitions, noted that Central One Football Association has been in football activities for far too long in the country and noting that they have contributed immensely in Sierra Leone football.
“Central one football association is a household name when it comes to football activities in the country. COFA started it first inter area tournament in the 90’s, since then, COFA is still actively organizing football competition,” he stated.
In that light, he continued that this year’s competition will constitutes 40 teams that will battle for the championship, adding that they have divided the teams into 8 groups and each group constitute 5 teams.
Say No to Drug and Violence happens to be the theme for this year’s competition, he told Forum News SL.
Disclosing the reason for this year theme, Yapo noted football bring youth together and therefore a possible advocacy tool that can be used to discourage young men and women to abstain from drugs intake, noting that drugs have been the order of the day in the country.
He stated that Kroo Town Road Community, the defending champion of last year competition will start the tournament against one time champion of COFA league Bambara Town Community at the Parade Field.
Sillah called on all football loving fans of the various communities to exercise sportsmanship behavior in the course of the matches and accept the outcomes of the result and later complain to the necessary authorities in an event of any discrepancy rather than throwing stones and plates water at each other.
‘I am cushioning all coaches, stakeholders and football fans to always demonstrate sportsmanship and refrain from any fierce acts that will put the game into disrepute’, he noted.
He however assured fans that they have spoken with the referee board chairman who he noted has given them assurance that referees will officiate matches professionally to maintain the standard of the league.
He therefore called on all communities to support their teams peacefully, stating that in football we only have one winner.
All roads lead to parade field come 20 August 2023, as the most anticipated football tournament set to commence.
