Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) FIFA has suspended Sierra Leone from world football over claims of government interference. The suspension comes after FIFA sent a letter to the country's Minister of Sports expressing "grave concern" about the removal of the football association president, Isha Johansen and the association's General Secretary, Christopher Kamara. In a statement, FIFA said: "The Bureau of the FIFA Council decided today to suspend the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) with immediate effect due to government interference." The ban couldn't have come at a worse time for the country as Sierra Leone is just one week ahead of a crucial African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Ghana on October 11. Following the ban, SLFA has lost all membership rights, FIFA said. This means the SLFA's national and club teams are no longer entitled to take part in international competitions until the suspension is lifted. Read More<doc-sep>Sierra Leone has appealed against its suspension by world football’s top body on charges of government interference. After a crisis meeting on Monday with the government, the Sierra Leone Football Association sent a letter to FIFA asking it to lift the suspension so that the country can play Ghana in looming qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations. It said it would dispatch a delegation to FIFA headquarters in Zurich for talks. The West African nation was rocked last week when FIFA suspended it for government interference. READ ALSO: Alleged N3.5bn fraud: Saraki’s aide gets N250m bail The bustup is rooted in a move by the country’s anti-corruption commission to sack SLFA president Isha Johansen and general secretary Christopher Kamara during an ongoing probe into corruption and mismanagement. The meeting on Monday took place in State House, the official residence of President Julius Maada Bio, in the capital Freetown, ministers said. “(The) government met with Isha and (her) secretary general so as to commence the mediation process for the lifting of the FIFA ban,” Sports Minister Ibrahim Nyelenkeh told AFP. “We want FIFA to reverse the suspension to enable us (to) participate in a CAF pending game with Ghana this month,” he said. “We are very hopeful that FIFA will lift the suspension after our mediation process.” – Reinstated? – The letter to FIFA, seen by AFP, carried the SLFA letterhead and was signed by Johansen, although it was unclear whether she had been reinstated to her job. On September 20, her deputy, Brima Mazola Kamara, had said that he had replaced her. In addition, Nyelenkeh said that both Johansen and Kamara will be part of the delegation heading to Zurich. Johansen and Kamara were arrested in September 2016 over alleged corruption offences. A year later, they were indicted by the anti-graft agency on six counts of abuse of office and corruption. They deny any wrongdoing. “I want us to resolve all outstanding issues before going to FIFA in Zurich or else it will be difficult to lift the suspension,” Johansen said after the meeting. Sierra Leone play away to Ghana on Thursday, with the return match next Monday. The crisis within Sierra Leone football has been rumbling on for years. Fifteen Sierra Leonean players and officials were suspended in July 2014 over suspect matches including a 2010 World Cup qualifier against South Africa. However, the scandal has taken on the dimension of a political emergency in the light of the showdown with FIFA, which threatens Sierra Leone’s participation in the Cup of Nations. Bio, the opposition challenger, narrowly won a hotly-contested presidential election in March. “We want to organise a high-level delegation to FIFA with all critical football stakeholders involved,” Chief Minister David Francis, the country’s top minister, told reporters. “As a new government we inherited the football problem,” he said, and made a reference to FIFA’s own scandal-ridden recent past. “We are also aware that FIFA too have been embroiled in series of corruption allegations,” he said. (AFP)<doc-sep>Fifa gives Sierra Leone Tuesday ultimatum as Ghana fixture hangs in the balance The Sierra Leonean government must reinstate their ousted FA president by a deadline to stand a chance to play the Black Stars Fifa says it will give Sierra Leone no special dispensation to honour their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana amid a current ban from all football activities for "governmental interference". Instead, the world football's governing body insists the Sierra Leonean government must reinstate ousted football association president Isha Johansen and general secretary Christopher Kamara by end of Tuesday to have the ban lifted to enable the Leone Stars play their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana on Thursday. Sierra Leone were handed a ban from football on Friday - six days to the October 11 fixture - after government failed to comply with Fifa's order to have the ousted Johansen-led administration given control of the football association. After a meeting on Monday, government wrote to Fifa, asking to be allowed to honour Thursday's game, while undertaking "processes to resolve the current impasse". "We would like to remind you that in its decision dated 5 October 2018 to suspend the SLFA with immediate effect, the Bureau of the Council specified that the suspension will only be lifted once the SLFA and its recognised leadership (led by SLFA President, Ms Isha Johansen, and SLFA General Secretary, Mr Christopher Kamara) have confirmed to FIFA that the SLFA administration, premises, accounts and communication channels are under their control once again. Consequently, as long as this condition has not been met, the suspension will remain in place," a Fifa letter addressed to the SLFA on Tuesday stated. Article continues below "Finally, please note that any proposal to lift the suspension of the SLFA will have to be submitted to the Bureau of the Council for approval. This is a time-consuming administrative process. Therefore, and without prejudice to the timelines that apply for the Confederation of African Football (CAF), for the suspension to be lifted in time for Sierra Leone's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana on Thursday, 11 October 2018, any written confirmation that the above-mentioned condition has been met should be submitted by no later than today, 9 October 2018 at 18:00 (CET)." Should the ban be lifted, Sierra Leone will face Ghana in Kumasi on Thursday before hosting the return encounter in Freetown four days later.<doc-sep>
Under-siege leadership of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has agreed to write to FIFA to temporarily lift the ban on the country to enable them play Ghana on Saturday in their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. The move is meant to allow the feuding parties the time to reach an amicable solution to the crisis bedevilling football without losing the points against Ghana as a result of the ban. Fifa suspended Sierra Leone from international football last week because of government interference in the running of the country's football association. The ban comes after the country's anti-corruption commission (ACC) barred two leading SLFA officials President Isha Johansen and General Secretary from the governing body's offices. If the ban is not lifted before 11 October, Sierra Leone's 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Ghana will be cancelled. The return fixture is scheduled for 15 October. In a bid to avoid forfeiting the Ghana game, Chief Minister Prof David Francis called a meeting on Monday with all the feuding parties and agreed that Sports minister Ibrahim Nyelenkeh and the ACC had threatened to defy FIFA and forfeit the match against Ghana, damning the consequences. However following the intervention of the Chief Minister, the parties agreed for the FIFA-reocgnised Johansen administration to write to the Swiss-based body to appeal for the ban to be lifted. They also agreed for a delegation including all parties to be sent to be sent to Zurich as soon as possible to seek an amicable solution for the an to be permanently lifted. They also agreed to start an internal mediation process for a peaceful settlement to be found. The ACC says that, under Sierra Leone law, both SLFA president Isha Johansen and general secretary Christopher Kamara must vacate their posts until their case on corruption-related charges concludes. Both Johansen and Kamara have denied any wrongdoing. Fifa had repeatedly warned Sierra Leonean authorities the ACC's actions could result in a ban and, in a letter dated 28 September, sought a meeting with the government to address the impasse. While the government has claimed it had nothing to do with the ACC's actions, Fifa outlaws 'undue influence from any third party'. Sierra Leone are one of four teams with three points in Group F, which also includes Ethiopia and Kenya.