AFCON 2021: Sierra Leone Coach Receives Death Threat Over Squad Selection
Written By Omolagba Oluwayemi
Coach of Sierra Leone national team John Keister claimed he received death threats before to releasing his final 28-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, set to kick-off on Sunday in Cameroon.
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John Keister was said to have received two threats regarding the inclusion of certain players – a day before announcing his 28-man squad and reported them to police in the west African country.
Speaking of BBC Sports Africa, he said:
“I think it’s very, very sad that it has to come to this,” Manchester-born Keister told BBC Sport Africa.
“Whatever walk of life you are in, nobody deserves that.”
“I don’t think it should get to that point where my life is being threatened because people feel players should be in [the squad] – and if they are not, this is what they are going to do,” the former Sierra Leone international added.
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“We have come a long way [so] there’s no reason for [the death threats],” continued Keister.
“I’ve got family, I look after these boys and I have a job to do. It gets me angry and for me, where I have come from and my background, I feel there is something I need to do about it.
“Regardless of the job, I need to do something about it.”
Meanwhile…
John Keister’s final 28-man squad for Cameroon included one-time England defender Steven Caulker and former Middlesbrough striker Kei Kamara, 37, will face holders Algeria, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea in Group E at the Nations Cup.
It cannot be ascertained whether or not he included those players for which he received the threats, but the 51-year-old final squad included 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 10 midfielders and 7 forwards.
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Sierra Leone AFCON 2021 Final Squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed N Kamara (East End Lions, Sierra Leone), Ibrahim Sesay (Bo Rangers, Sierra Leone), Isaac Caulker (FC Kallon, Sierra Leone).
Defenders: Yeami Dunia, Saidu Mansaray (both Bo Rangers, Sierra Leone), Osman Kakay (QPR, England) Kevin Wright (Unattached), Steven Caulker (Gaziantep, Turkey), David Sesay (Wealdstone, England), Umaru Bangura (Neuchatel Xamax, Switzerland), Daniel Francis (Rot Weiss Ahlen, Germany).
Midfielders: Mohamed Kamara (Unattached), John Bankole Kamara (Kesla, Azerbaijan), Abu Dumbuya (East End Lions, Sierra Leone), Saidu Bah Kamara, Prince Barrie (both Bo Rangers, Sierra Leone), Kwame Quee (Vikingur Reykjavic, Iceland), Saidu Fofana (FC Kallon, Sierra Leone), Issa Kallon (SC Cambuur, Netherlands), Idris Kanu (Peterborough United, England), Alhassan Koroma (Real Balompedica Linense, Spain).
Forwards: Musa Noah Kamara (Bo Rangers, Sierra Leone), Augustine Williams (LA Galaxy, USA), Mustapha Bundu (AGF, Denmark), Alhaji Kamara (Randers, Denmark), Sullay Kaikai (Wycombe Wanderers, England), Mohamed Buya Turay (Henan Songshan, China), Kei Ansu Kamara (HIFK, Finland).
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