Sierra Leone’s Sports Minister, Augusta James-Teima has expressed her disappointment over the Leone Stars’ failure to qualify for the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco.

“I am highly disappointed, the government is disappointed and the people of Sierra Leone are also disappointed,” Minister James-Teima said.

The Sierra Leone male national team was only able to rake up five points from six games in this year’s qualifiers with failure to defeat group minnows, Chad seen as one of the major reasons for their failure.

The minister highlighted the support the government has been providing for the team over the past years but they fell short of expectations.

“I was expecting the team to have qualified considering all the support the government is giving to Leone Stars,” she said.

The Sports Minister, while commending the scouting department of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), also called on them to get a good technical team to manage the players.

“We need to see more technical development,” she said. “Please step up, give us coaches that will live up to expectations.”

The minister also called for unity in the sports if the team is to make progress in the future. She urged football stakeholders to think about the country’s interests rather than personal interests. She also spoke on the importance of Sierra Leoneans in continuing their support for the team.