November 23 – Sierra Leone has officially been given the thumbs up by FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura to bid for the right to host the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in the near future.
Samoura reportedly made the offer in a meeting with Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma, sports ministry officials and executive committee members of the country’s football association during a two-day working visit that ended on Saturday.
The visit was aimed at restoring peace within the Sierra Leone football family and to ensure that there is no government interference in the day-to-day running of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA).
No women’s World Cup – across any age group – has ever been hosted in an African country but among a number of issues discussed, Samoura said. “I bring good news about the possibility for Sierra Leone to host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. I have promised President Koroma that FIFA will support Sierra Leone if they bid. We’ll make sure that they have all the tools and mechanism and the means you need to get that competition being hosted by the country.”
Uruguay are hosting the event in 2018 but Samoura said FIFA would look favourably on a Sierra Leone bid down the road. “I’ve got assurance from the minister of sports that he supports this idea and I’m sure we we’ll be linking up with the SLFA President Isha Johansen to make it a reality. When I come to Sierra Leone next time I hope it is to declare to the rest of the world that Sierra Leone has been successful in bidding to host the U-17 Women’s World Cup.”
Sierra Leone, hit badly by the ebola epidemic between 2014 and 2016, has never hosted a major football tournament and would need a major infrastructure overhaul to do so.
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