ISHA BOWS OUT
… will not seek re-election as Sierra Leone FA president
ISHAJohansen will not stand for re-election as president of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) in Saturday's elections.
Her decisions to withdraw from the polls will bring an end to her eight-year stint as head of the SLFA.
With the remaining three candidates in the Sierra Leone polls all men it means Africa will be left without a female football association president.
Johansen's decision comes after she was elected as the Confederation of African Football's (Caf) only woman representative on the Fifa Council in March.
"As a recently elected Fifa council member, I will be required to play a higher level and more active role as a global ambassador for football and Fifa," Johansen said in a statement.
"My new role will require extensive global travelling and consequently increased demands on my time.”
Johansen became the first woman to be president of SLFA when she was elected unopposed in 2013 for a four-year term after three other candidates were disqualified from standing.
Among those prevented from contesting the polls were former Inter Milan and Monaco forward Mohamed Kallon and Michael, who is a former premier league board chairman.
Elections were meant to be held back in 2017 but were delayed by Fifa, with Johansen's mandate extended until certain conditions relating to integrity checks were met, which has seen her stay in office for another four years.
Her reign as SLFA boss has not been smooth a ride with allegations of corruption, controversy, infighting as well as dealing with the Ebola and Covid-19 crises.
She faced stiff opposition as soon as since she took over as president from supporters of rival candidates angry over their removal from the ballot sheet. -