By Joseph S Conteh
The Sierra Leone U-15 national team will not be participating in the upcoming WAFU U-15 tournament, which is set to kick off in Senegal on 11th December,2024, due to a delay in the processing of the players’ passports.
Alusine Kabba, the Event and Protocol Officer at the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), explained the unfortunate situation. “The team was unable to represent the nation due to a delay in passport processing. The immigration office faced a technical problem that prevented the issuance of the players’ passports for the past 18 days.”
Despite an intensive training camp, the players and the technical team have now been forced to return to their respective clubs, dashing the team’s hopes of competing in the regional youth football event.
The WAFU U-15 tournament, which brings together the best young talent from West Africa, is a crucial platform for the development of football in the region. Sierra Leone’s absence from the competition is a disappointing setback for the country’s efforts to nurture and showcase its rising stars.
However, this unexpected setback has left the U-15 national team and its supporters feeling dejected and unable to represent their nation on the regional stage.
