The Sierra Leone national team football captain, Steven Caulker has spoken about the role of his leadership in the team.

“I take my role as captain of my country and vice-captain of my club very seriously,” Caulker said. “It is my responsibility to lead by example and help guide others along the way.”

The Ankara Keçiörengücü defender was recently named in the Leone Stars squad to feature against African champions, Ivory Coast in this week’s AFCON Qualifiers.

The veteran defender also reflected on his first leadership responsibility at a young age.
“I was given the captain’s armband in the Premier League at 21. I had all the right attributes to be a leader, but in reality, I wasn’t ready,” he said.

Caulker was made the Leone Stars captain months before the team participated in their first AFCON in 25 years.
The former England U21 defender was committed to seeing his team qualify for the knockout phase but went out of the competition after losing narrowly to Equatorial Guinea in their final group match.

Leone Stars failed to qualify for the last edition of the competition in Ivory Coast but remain determined to qualify for Morocco next year despite having just one point from two matches. They will face the Ivory Coast this Friday, October 11 in San Pedro before hosting the African champions on Tuesday, October 15 in Monrovia.

Sierra Leone is unable to play home matches in Freetown’s National Stadium due to renovation works.