The future of women lies in Africa. At least on the football field. Isha Johansen, 48, a former public relations specialist, has been elected head of the Sierra Leone Football Association. A first for this West African country, but not for the continent. Isha Johansen is the third federation president in Africa, after Izetta Wesley in Liberia and especially Lydia Nsekera in Burundi.
Certainly, Isha Johansen won due to lack of opponents. His three alleged rivals, former Inter Milan and Monaco player Mohamed Kallon, as well as managers Rodney Michael and Foday Turay, were eliminated by a local committee set up by FIFA. The first for not having recently resided in Sierra Leone, the other two for having participated in gambling.
But Isha Johansen's victory is beyond doubt, at least for football institutions. Barely elected, she received congratulations from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football. “I look forward to contributing to the better health and renewal of football in Sierra Leone,” explained the new president. I want to encourage the development of football by bringing a lot more education to it, when there are so many young people who want to play football but don't want to go to school. We also want to progress women's football. But, above all, I ask everyone to work for peace and reason. »
At 48, Isha Johansen made a name for herself in African sport by getting involved very early in the development of youth football. In 2004, she created FC Johansen with her husband, the Norwegian Arne Birger Johansen. Very quickly, the club achieved some success in national competitions. In 2009, his best team won a tournament in Sweden, the Mitnordick Cup. Last year, FC Johansen won the Swiss Cup for under-16s, dominating Liverpool in the final.
In recent years, it has also organized international tournaments in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, bringing together teams from Brazil, Norway and Africa.
Isha Johansen suggested as soon as the results were announced: “I hope that my arrival as a woman at the head of our federation can open doors for us internationally. And above all, I hope that people will no longer just perceive Sierra Leone as a lost and war-torn country. »
One thing is certain: Africa is setting an example to the rest of the planet by breaking, here and there, the willingly misogynistic habits of major sporting institutions. Only one woman sits on the Executive Commission of the French Football Federation, Brigitte Henriques, as Secretary General. One woman for every nine men.
