A provisional ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reinstated Aminata Bangura in the race to contest the presidency of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) in Saturday’s elective congress.
Bangura was disqualified from the shortlist of four contenders after the SLFA alleged that she had falsified her police clearance. But she challenged the decision by filing an appeal with CAS last week. The matter is far from over, though, as the court points out in its six-page ruling, stating that a final ruling could affect Bangura’s appeal regardless of the outcome of the election.
The elective congress will take place in Port Loko on 2nd August with two other candidates on the ballot. Babadi Kamara and Alhaji Umaru Bah join Bangura in Saturday’s election. The incumbent, Thomas Daddy Brima, who was disqualified after the FA’s integrity checks, failed to win a court injunction to postpone the congress.
The process leading up to Saturday’s election has been fraught with controversy as various parties accuse each other of political interference and other dark tactics, including intimidation. It is unclear when a final ruling will be issued by CAS, but based on the stipulated timelines, it could take weeks to conclude.
