Sports
Sierra Leonean Keeper Wants To Break Barriers
A young Sierra Leonean goalkeeper, who dreams of playing in the English Premier League, says it is much easier for an outfield African player to make it in Europe than it is for a goalkeeper.
Al Hadji Sesay recently signed a professional football contract with English championship side Bristol City, and the 19 year-old believes that a lack of prominent African goalkeepers in European leagues has made it difficult for younger players to be recognised.
“It’s been tough for someone like me who is from Africa to come to a championship club,” said Sesay who was spotted by Bristol City while playing for a social club in London.
“Deeply inside it worries me a lot. There was a time when I thought I was not going to make it.”
Sesay’s journey to the top has been like that of many other young African players.
He started his career in Sierra Leone with Kallon FC, a team owned by former Sierra Leone and Inter Milan star, Mohammed Kallon.
He then moved to London to join his mother who wanted him to work in a shop and help out with family expenses rather than pursue a football career.
Sesay impressed the Bristol City scouts and earned himself a two-year contract with Lee Johnson’s team as he chases his dream to play in the Premier League and the European Champions League, but he argues that it is harder if you play in goal.
“There are black goalkeepers in other leagues but in the Premier League there are no black African goalkeepers.
“I am always thinking, am I going to make it or not,” Sesay said.
Despite the difficulties, he says his mother is now on board with his chosen career and has become a big fan.
“Everything has changed. When I came to this country my mother wanted me to work to help her.
She wanted me to work for a Nigerian shop which sells African food. I went there for one day and said I am not doing that,” said Sesay.
“When she found out that Bristol City wanted to sign me she was so happy. Now I take care of her and everything is good.”
Sesay is yet to make his first team debut for Bristol City but trains with the first team while playing regularly for the under 23 side.
Other African goalkeepers in Europe include Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama who plays for Ligue 1 side Lille, Cameroon’s Andre Onana who is with Ajax Amsterdam, Morocco’s Yassine Bounou of Spanish La Liga side Girona and Nigeria’s Carl Ikeme of English Championship side Wolves.
Sesay says the Brazilian goalkeeper Marcos and former Spain and Real Madrid star Iker Casillas are his main inspiration and that his dream is to follow in the footsteps of his idols and win the European Champions League and the World Cup despite the difficult road ahead.
Sesay has a chance of realising his dream of becoming a Premier League player if Bristol City can clinch promotion at the end of the season.
Isaako All Stars FC of Opuoko and Khana Khana AllStars Football all in Local Government Area of Rivers State will tomorrow engage in a friendly football match at Opuoko Mini Stadium.
Chatting with Tidesports in a telephone interview yesterday the Chairman of Khana All Stars Saro Tap-le said that the encounter is not going to be an easy game in spite it is an AllStars game.
He express his side readiness for the encounter stating that the opportunity as come for them to showcase their talents.
However, the chairman explained that AllStars game is not about winning but the excitement, love, unity and friendship it creates is more important.
” Tomorrow game is not going to be an easy one despite is a AllStars game. We are going there in a full force to do what we know how to do best and to showcase our talents.
“As Chairman of Khana All Stars I believes we have an edge over the Isaako All Stars be we are training so hard for the encounter” Tap-le said.
Also speaking the Chairman of Isaako All Stars Mina Zaasi Iloori sees the match as an opportunity to build relationships.
” My brother it is an AllStars friendly game I think winning is not important but the paramount thing is the relationship we are going to create among both teams and my community at large
” We are training hard because of the encounter because I will not be in my house and somebody will rob soap in my eyes.
” As I speak with you we are just coming from back training ground to ensure all my players are fit for the match.
” I am using this medium to call on football fans to come en mass to Opuoko Mini Stadium tomorrow and enjoy the best of round leather game.
I promise the game will be an exciting display of football talents and sportsmanship”, Iloori said.
Kiadum Edookor
Thierry Henry has called for the return of the away goals rule in the aftermath of the bombastic Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona.
The visitors at the Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys came within milimeters of clinching the first leg of the final-four clash after former Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted late in the second-half.
But the linesman was quick to raise his flag, and semi-automated offside ruled out what would have been a thrilling conclusion to the high-octane 3-3 draw.
The hosts came from behind twice to share the spoils, chasing Inter Milan from the first minute of the game after Marcus Thuram stunned the Barcelona faithful into silence with his neatly flicked goal.
Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter’s lead 20 minutes later, but it took just three more for the Blaugrana to finally get on the scoresheet courtesy of a moment of magic from teenage starlet Lamine Yamal.
Ferran Torres drew Barcelona level ahead of the break, but Lamal was forced to play catch-up again in the second-half after Dumfries scored his second.
In light of the impressive effort from Inter, Henry wondered if the team should have got more from the fixture ahead of the second-leg at the San Siro.
‘I know it’s been like that for a very time, and we have to accept it,’ Henry said of the removal of the away goals rule, ‘But off air I was talking to Jamie (Carragher), and I was like, “how can you score three goals away from home and you don’t have an advantage?”
‘Away goals for me were massive, you score three goals away and you still don’t have an advantage 0-0 at home,’ Henry shrugged.
UEFA took the decision to scrap the rule which gave goals scored away from home the ability to act as a tiebreaker in the case of level scorelines ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger claimed during his time as Arsenal manager in 2015 that the away goals rule ‘encouraged the team at home not to attack’ and that ‘the weight of the away goal (was) too big today’.
Without the rules, the tie at San Siro will go to extra time and penalties to decide which teams books their spot in the Champions League final.
But based on Wednesday evening’s performance, Henry seemed to give Inter a fighting chance against the newly minted Copa del Rey champions.
The 2025 London Marathon set a new world record for the number of finishers despite hot conditions on Sunday for its 45th edition.
A total of 56,640 runners crossed the finish line at the end of the 26.2-mile route, Guinness World Records has confirmed.
The number surpassed the previous record of 55,646 set by the New York Marathon in November.
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said he hoped the high number of finishers inspired people to apply for the 2026 race ballot.
“The London Marathon was already the most popular in terms of ballot entries, with 840,318 people applying for the 2025 race,” he said.
“It is also the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event with more than £1.3bn raised for charity since 1981.”
The number of people applying for the ballot to enter this year’s race broke the world record of 578,304 for the 2024 edition.
Of UK applicants 49% were female, while there was a 105% increase in applications from people aged between 20-29.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa surged to victory in the elite women’s race in a world record for a women’s only field, while Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe triumphed in the men’s event.