Barely hours after his appointment as head coach of the Sierra Leone national team, Sellas Tetteh has had his status contested by the government.
The Ministry of Sports said the selection process that saw the Ghanaian appointed as Leone Stars coach was rigged.
According to law, the Sierra Leone Football Association is mandated to appoint a coach for the national team, while the coach is paid by the government.
The ministry claimed the FA rigged the interview process and hastily appointed Tetteh without the conclusion of the process.
It added that the ministry’s representatives also observed that representatives of the SLFA on the interview panel came with a premeditated mind of appointing the Ghanaian.
Tetteh was selected from among 12 contestants, seven of whom were local applicants.
“The Ministry does not recognize Sellas Tetteh as the Head Coach of the Sierra Leone National A Team because the process was incomplete,” the statement said.
“The Ministry of Sports wants to assure all Sierra Leoneans that the government is committed to supporting sports in the country and the process of appointing the National Team A coach will soon come to conclusion,” it added.
The dispute has raised fears of a recurrence of the conflict within the government and the FA, which led to a FIFA ban that was lifted only last June.
This is especially a concern for football fans given that it happens just when Sierra Leone is expected to take part in qualifiers for the next World Cup and Nations Cup.
KC/as/APA