FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, threatened to bar Sierra Leone from future competitions unless the sports ministry quit interfering. The players were caught in the middle, and threatened by the ministry Saturday with nonpayment. The issue was not resolved until 15 minutes before kickoff.
“We have this problem of Ebola,” John Jeboh Sherrington, the technical director of Sierra Leone’s soccer federation, said to the players in the dressing room. “We cannot add another problem by refusing to play.”
Despite the tumult in Cameroon, the players said it did not compare with a demoralizing trip in September to Ivory Coast and, especially, to one to Democratic Republic of Congo. At least here, players received applause and thumbs-up signs after Saturday’s match, from spectators who appreciated their perseverance and the difficulty facing any traveling team in Africa, much less a homeless one.
“They shake our hands,” said Alie Badara Tarawallie, a Sierra Leone soccer federation official. “They’re not afraid of us.”
Last month, some players from Ivory Coast gave them fist bumps instead of shaking hands, which upset some of the Sierra Leone players. “Shaking hands is respect,” midfielder Khalifa Jabbie said.
Article Appeared @http://www.thisissierraleone.com/sierra-leones-soccer-team-struggles-with-stigma-over-ebola-outbreak/