By Martin Wusha Conteh
What exactly are we celebrating?
Are we seriously going to host our international matches at the Siaka Stevens Training Complex? Is that the standard we should accept as a nation?
The groups for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers have already been confirmed. Democratic Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea will host their home matches in their own countries. Meanwhile, Sierra Leone is expected to play its home fixtures in either Liberia or Guinea. Zimbabwe will also host its home matches in South Africa.
Rather than celebrating the partial handover of a training facility, we should be putting greater pressure on the contractors to complete the National Stadium. Sierra Leonean football deserves a fully functional stadium that meets international standards not continued delays and half-measures.
Our focus should be on ensuring the full completion of the National Stadium, not applauding unfinished work. If Sierra Leone fails to qualify, the players and coaching staff will face the criticism, while those responsible for the delays escape accountability and taxpayers continue to bear the cost.
For once, let us treat football with the same level of seriousness and commitment seen in many North African nations. Sierra Leone deserves better, and so do its footballers and supporters.