Kei Kamara Attacks Isha Johansen’s Record as FIFA Presidential Ambitions Surface
Ben Bassey Former Sierra Leone striker Kei Kamara has launched a scathing attack on Isha Johansen’s leadership of the country’s football federation, questioning her fitness for a potential FIFA presidency by citing years of inactivity and neglect of women’s football during her tenure.
In a post circulated on social media, Kamara claimed that “when she governed our country’s football federation, the game didn’t play for over 4 years,” adding that “nothing was done for women football.” He wrote: “Imagine how many lives were ruined and she didn’t do anything to fix it. Now you want the same country to help you to run for FIFA presidency, bo a bage madame lef saful.”
Kamara concluded: “Football needs genuine people in charge, ones that will help others and make positive impacts on their lives. If I could vote, I will say NO.”
Kamara’s intervention comes as Johansen has publicly confirmed she approached the current SLFA leadership for endorsement of a potential FIFA presidential bid. Johansen served as SLFA president from August 2013 to June 2021.
Kamara’s claim of “over 4 years” without football is difficult to verify precisely, but Johansen’s tenure was marked by significant disruption. In October 2018, FIFA suspended Sierra Leone from international football due to government interference after the Anti-Corruption Commission barred Johansen and General Secretary Christopher Kamara from the SLFA offices pending corruption charges. The suspension saw the country disqualified from the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Johansen was subsequently acquitted of all charges, and FIFA lifted the ban.
On women’s football, Johansen did launch the “Powerplay” initiative to encourage women and girls to play the game, which received FIFA and CAF support. However, she also served as president of CAF’s women’s organising committee before being succeeded in that role by Kanizat Ibrahim in May 2021.
This is not the first time Kamara has publicly criticised Johansen. In 2021, he accused her of having “no positive impact” during her eight-year reign and objected to her alleged push to call up a Ghanaian-born midfielder for the national team. In 2015, he told the BBC: “When they fight, we suffer. It’s like a war when it’s going on, and the innocent people will always be victims”.
Johansen has recently positioned herself as a critic of FIFA governance, calling on incumbent president Gianni Infantino to step down “for the good of football” over the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. She confirmed in November 2026 that the SLFA declined to endorse her potential candidacy, citing CAF’s collective support for Infantino.