Sierra Leone: 15 players, referees and officials suspended; suspected of rigging game

Four players from the Sierra Leone national team, three referees and eight officials suspected of attempting to rig a game in 2008 were suspended from all football-related activities by the SLFA (Sierra Leone Football Association) on 16/07/2014, effective immediately and until further notice.

The sports ministry and the federation both said that they had received "credible and tangible information" implicating these 15 people in "anti-sport and anti-patriotic activity" during the game.

The 15 individuals, including Ibrahim Kargbo, the captain of the national team, and the manager Alimamy Turay, allegedly tried to rig the South Africa-Sierra Leone fixture (on 21/06/2008 in Pretoria) during the second preliminary round of the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and 2010 CAN (Africa Cup of Nations), according to Paul Kamara, the sports minister, and Isha Johansen, the president of the SLFA. In the alleged rigging scenario, Sierra Leone would have lost 5-0, but the game finished 0-0, as some Sierra-Leone players refused to rig the game.

The 15 defendants deny any wrongdoing in the case…