The lights are on, the crowd is restless, and the game has begun once more. At the Sierra Leone Football Association headquarters, there is a sense that the long pause has ended. Babadi Kamara, barely months into his presidency, has not tiptoed into office. He has taken the centre circle, set the ball in motion, and signalled that the tempo of Sierra Leone football is changing.
For a game long burdened by hesitation, fractured authority, and weary expectation, the shift is unmistakable. Kamara’s leadership has arrived with urgency and intent, defined not by grand speeches but by decisive movement. In the theatres of administration and competition alike, his early months suggest a president determined to replace drift with direction and uncertainty with purpose.
What has surprised many seasoned observers is not simply what has been done, but how quickly it has been achieved. Within a short span, the Sierra Leone Football Association secured its first Anti Doping Memorandum of Understanding with the National Olympic Committee. The agreement aligns the game with international standards on clean sport and athlete welfare, a milestone that in many countries takes years of negotiation and institutional trust. Its rapid conclusion reflected political will, administrative clarity, and renewed confidence in the Association’s leadership.
Yet Kamara’s presidency has not been confined to policy rooms and formal agreements. When players of Koya Queens Football Club were involved in a serious road accident, the response from the SLFA was immediate and human. Hospital visits, medical coordination, and logistical support followed without delay. In a football culture where player welfare has too often been an afterthought, the response carried symbolic weight. It demonstrated a leadership that sees players not as assets, but as people, and understands that credibility begins with care.
On the domestic front, governance has been an early test. League competitions in Sierra Leone have long struggled with delayed disciplinary decisions and contested authority. The operationalisation of Emergency Disciplinary and Appeals Committees during the ongoing season marked a decisive intervention. By restoring timely justice and regulatory certainty, the move helped stabilise competitions and ease tensions among clubs, referees, and administrators. It was a reminder that leadership, at times, requires firm decisions taken at speed.
Beyond the touchlines at home, Sierra Leone football has begun to reclaim space on the international stage. Kamara’s active role on FIFA’s Commercial and Marketing Committee has strengthened institutional links with world football’s governing body. High level engagements, including discussions with Arsene Wenger at a FIFA Standing Committee meeting, have elevated the country’s profile and opened doors to technical expertise and developmental partnerships that had previously seemed distant.
Diaspora engagement has unfolded with similar intent. The visits of internationally recognised players of Sierra Leonean heritage, notably Antonio Rudiger, have been shaped into structured conversations rather than ceremonial encounters. Rudiger’s expressed interest in academy development and youth pathways has signalled growing confidence in the SLFA’s direction. For Kamara, such relationships are not about headlines, but about building bridges that can support future generations.
Still, the presidency has not been without its challenges. Kamara has inherited a football system strained by limited resources, fragile infrastructure, and a history of institutional mistrust. Financial constraints remain acute, grassroots facilities are uneven, and expectations from clubs and supporters are high. Navigating entrenched interests while pushing reform has required both patience and resolve. Resistance to change, often quiet but persistent, continues to test the administration’s cohesion.
It is here that Kamara’s leadership style becomes most visible. Rather than retreat into isolation, he has chosen inclusion. Clubs, league bodies, government agencies, medical institutions, and international partners have been drawn into a shared conversation about the future of the game. This collaborative approach has reduced friction and fostered a sense of collective ownership. The message is consistent: progress cannot be imposed by one office, but built by many hands.
Public engagement has reinforced this philosophy. Regular presence at league matches, community events, and school football programmes has narrowed the distance between administration and supporters. Infrastructure projects such as the Southern Arena in Bo have become tangible symbols of what stability and cooperation can produce. Growing calls for additional facilities reflect not dissatisfaction, but belief that improvement is possible.
Crucially, Kamara’s vision extends beyond his own tenure. Those close to the process speak of a president focused on systems rather than personalities, on structures that can endure rather than achievements that fade with office. The emphasis on institutional alignment, transparent processes, and international standards suggests an intent to leave a foundation upon which successors can build, rather than a vacuum they must repair.
As the early chapters of this presidency continue to unfold, the narrative is still being written. The challenges are real, the expectations heavy, and the path forward demanding. Yet there is a sense that Sierra Leone football is no longer waiting for change, but participating in it.
If the opening acts are any guide, Babadi Kamara’s leadership represents more than a change of guard. It signals a reawakening, a belief that with purpose, inclusion, and resolve, Sierra Leone football can rise to greater heights, not only in this moment, but for generations to come.
