Remembering one of Sierra Leone’s and Africa’s finest goalkeeper Brima Atouga Kamara who died exactly 23 years ago.

Most of us grew up watching Atouga displaying his entertainment acrobatic styles between the posts for local clubs Fisheries, East End Lions, Mighty Blackpool and the Senior national team Leone Stars. He was known in Liberia as the “Monkey” for his good goalkeeping abilities and acrobatic styles.

Atouga made his international debut for Leone Stars during the 1984 Amilical Cabral Zone 11 Football tournament held in Freetown for the first time . His last game was against Morocco in Freetown 1997 in a 19998 World Cup qualifying match which they lost 1-0. He was red-carded in the second half after Leone Stars had exhausted all their three Substitutions thus forcing defender Kemokai to transform himself from an in-field player to a goal keeper.

“The Guy” as he was fondly called was a member of the Leone Stars team that represented Sierra Leone at both the 1994 and 1996 Africa Cup of Nations Finals in Tunisia and South Africa respectively. He was on the bench in the Tunisia but played of three Leone Stars matches in South Africa Against Burkinafaso, Algeria and Zambia respectively

Atouga who was also nicknamed ‘Banna Chop” played for Al Mansoura in Egypt where he died on 7th July 1999. He was buried at the Kingtom Cemetary in Freetown few weeks later. In my opinion, his best match Leone Stars Jersey at home was against Cameroonians fresh from the 1990 World Cup in Italy Several Scoring Changes including three face-to-face saves in the first half.

He was in 1998 rated amongst the best goalkeeper Sierra Leone in Africa. Many regard him as the best goalkeeper Sierra Leone have ever produced