By Kelvin Jay
In a stunning development just days before the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) presidential elections, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled in favor of Aminata Bangura, overturning an earlier decision by the SLFA Ethics Committee that had barred her from contesting over allegations of forgery and document falsification.
The CAS decision, signed by Corinne Schmidhauser, President of the CAS Appeals Arbitration Panel, grants Bangura’s request for a stay of execution, which was filed on 24 July 2025, under case number CAS 2025/A/11613.
“Ms. Aminata Bangura is eligible to stand in the presidential election of the Sierra Leone Football Association, to be held on 2 August 2025,” the ruling confirms.
The ruling has sent shockwaves through the national football landscape, particularly among her opponents, who had considered her disqualified following the Ethics Committee’s verdict.
The CAS ruling does not resolve the case entirely but temporarily suspends the effects of the SLFA Ethics Committee’s decision, allowing Bangura to participate in the upcoming election.
“The costs of the present order shall be determined in the final award or any other final disposition of this arbitration,” the ruling stated in its concluding paragraph, leaving room for a full legal review at a later stage.
With the election set to take place on Saturday, 2 August 2025, in Lungi, political tensions within Sierra Leone’s football community are high.
Bangura’s return to the race has reignited fierce competition, especially with frontrunner Babadie Kamara, who is seen as her main challenger.
Sources from Kamara’s camp have dismissed the CAS decision as a mere delay, insisting that Aminata Bangura will lose at the polls regardless of her reinstatement.
Meanwhile, delegates are gearing up for a hotly contested vote that could shape the future direction of football administration in Sierra Leone for years to come.
As the countdown begins, all eyes are now on Lungi.
Will Aminata Bangura stage a historic comeback, or will Babadie Kamara solidify his position as the next SLFA President?
The outcome of the election is expected to make headlines, not only in sporting circles but across national governance and legal communities as well.
