By Sigismond Nicol
Chairman, Board of Directors, Sierra Leone Cricket Association, Francis Trevor Samura, has told this medium that they are not impressed with the Ministry of Sports and the National Sport Authority for abandoning them in their hour of need.
He said they were preparing to depart Sierra Leone for Nigeria for the U19 men’s Cricket World Cup, when word got out from the Finance Ministry that the budget for sporting activities has been exhausted, and that they need Executive clearance for them to take part in the U-19 tournament.
Both the Ministry and the NSA assured the Cricket Association that they will move and lobby for the executive clearance, but alas, this never happened, thus making them not to take part in the tournament scheduled to kick-start on 30 September.
Worse, both the leadership of the Ministry and the NSA have left the country to witness Leone Stars senior team’s friendly ties with South Africa and DR Congo. There was no one left behind to explain to the Cricket Association about their fate.
Trevor Samura said he feels that cricket has been abandoned, even though it is among the five prioritized disciplines, and the one that is always bringing laurels to Sierra Leone.
He however applauded President Bio for appreciating their winning streak when he gave them a piece of land sometime ago.
“But the NSA and the Sports Ministry that are running Sports in the country doesn’t look like they are running sports because they are paying attention only on football and football is not the only sport we have here in Sierra Leone,” he said. “If football has 10 trips the NSA is always ready to support them but any other sporting discipline will struggle to honour their international ties. The female U-19 Cricket team, for example, came back from Botswana few days ago and they are yet to receive they allowances.”
Eric Fomba, public relations officer for NSA, when contacted for a response on the above allegations said he would get back after watching the final Leone Stars training in South Africa, but he never did.
Sports fans interviewed said they fully appreciate government’s support of football, but that there are other sporting disciplines equally deserving of support, including cricket which has had a steady flow of laurels from their outings, hence the Sports Ministry and NSA should sit up and give due regard to its oversight and regulatory role.
