BY SABELO GWEBU
MBABANE– Sierra Leone Coach John Keister has listed Mbabane Swallows midfielder Mohamed Kabia in his 25-man squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifier matches.
Leone Stars will face Sao Sao Tome in back-to-back match three and four of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and Kabia is among the 14 foreign–based stars in Keister’s team. In the squad, only 11 play their trade on home soil as Sierra Leone departed for camp in Morocco on Thursday.
The 45 000-seater Grand Stade Adrar Agadir in Morocco will host both matches as Sierra Leone and Sao Tome is among countries like Eswatini and Lesotho in the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) region to have their stadiums banned by the continental governing body, the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
In Group A of the qualifiers, Sierra Leone and Sao Tome will battle for points on March 22 and 26 as the race for a slot in next January’s finals in the Ivory Coast gains momentum.
Included in the squad are English side Wigan Athletic defender Steven Caulker who is the national team captain, Queens Park Rangers right-back Osman Kakay and Greek second tier outfit Egaleo star John Kamara.
Sierra Leone staged a second-half comeback to share spoils with Guinea in match day two of the qualifiers late last year.
