Sierra Leone National Team

Leone Stars  - 50th in FIFA World Rankings (14 Aug 2014)

Sierra Leone have moved to 50th place in the FIFA World Rankings and 7th in Africa - their highest ever placing (14 Aug 2014).

The Leone Stars previous highest ranking was in 1996 when they reached 51st place. By 2007 they had fallen to their lowest ranking at 172nd place.

National Coach Johnny McKinstry has been clear since taking over the reins some 18 months ago that he had two goals for 2014 - to move Sierra Leone to the top 50 in the world, and to qualify for the African Cup of Nations in 2015.

Leone Stars Celebrate scoring against Equatorial Guinea, 2013. [Pic: Darren McKinstry]Asked about the progress Coach McKinstry said:

"Our move today to 50th in the FIFA World Rankings and 7th in Africa affirms the progress that we have made to date.

Since being appointed I have sought to develop a clear playing style, and also to expand the player pool available to the Leone Stars.  We have been bold in our efforts  -adopting an attacking style and giving out 13 debuts in that time.  By identifying new talent we have had better access to a group of quality players who are match fit and playing regularly for their clubs.  This has allowed us to improve the overall quality of the squad and to advance in the world rankings."

The move in the world rankings comes just days after the Seychelles withdrew from the return leg of their AFCON qualifier against the Leone Stars.  Victory over the Seychelles in that game could have seen the Leone Stars move the mid-40s of the world rankings.

On the missed opportunity Coach McKinstry said:

"It was obviously disappointing that Seychelles chose to withdraw. We knew that after our 2-0 victory in Freetown that the Seychelles would have to abandon their defensive tactics and we believed that this would further allow us to score goals against them."

It is possible that the Leone Stars world rankings will benefit further if the Seychelles' withdrawal is taken into account in the FIFA world rankings.

While the move to the top 50 in the world has been achieved, qualification for AFCON 2015 remains a challenge - not least as Sierra Leone have been drawn in Group D, a group that has become to be known as the 'Group of Death' in that it contains Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and DR Congo.

"I, the technical staff and the players are confident.  Going into the Group D games we will be able to combine new talent from across the recent debuts, with more established experience - including from a number of key players who are returning from injury."

Coach McKinstry working with the Leone Stars, 2014. [Pic: Darren McKinstry]On his approach to date, and the work of the technical team, Coach McKinstry was clear:

"I continue to stress the importance of preparation in everything we do.  A key element in progressing to the finals of AFCON will be consistency - and consistency will only come with time and dedication.  So I am working with the SLFA and the Ministry of Sport to ensure we have the best opportunity to get the players together for sufficient time before each game so that we can prepare effectively as one team."

On what the progress to date might mean to the fans, Coach McKinstry reflected:

"We are all only too mindful of the difficult humanitarian situation in Sierra Leone at present, and the efforts being made by those in-country, and by our international partners, to combat Ebola.  It is our hope that the Leone Star's recent success and our ongoing development can both give hope to Sierra Leoneans in these challenging times, and provide a positive message about Sierra Leone to the wider world."

 

Leone Stars Highlights 

You can click any of the pictures below to see a full screen version of the picture.  You can then also choose to click the play arrow to watch a slide show of all images.

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More News?

For more news and pictures of Leone Stars games and training camps - visit www.johnnymckinstry.com/leonestars

 

Notes to Editors

  1. You can read more about the FIFA world Rankings, the AFCON 2015 tournament and the Leone Stars fixtures.
  2. Johnny McKinstry was appointed Head Coach of the Sierra Leone National Men's Football team on 11th April 2013.  You can read more about his time in charge of the Leone Stars
  3. See www.johnnymckinstry.com for a range of information - biography, press releases and photographs for press use.
  4. To arrange an email or telephone interview, please contact 

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About Coach McKinstry

Coach McKinstry is a UEFA Pro Licensed Football Coach, with a number of successes across his 20+ year career to date.    He is currently Head Coach of the Gambia National Team and Head Coach of Gor Mahia FC in Kenya (2022-24) where he won two Kenya Premier League titles (2023-24, 2022-23), and the 2023-24 Kenya Charity Shield, returning the club to the top of Kenyan football.

As Head Coach of the Uganda National Team, (2019 - 2021) he led Uganda to win CECAFA 2019 and delivered a win from 2 in every 3 games, going undefeated in 8 in evey 10 games.  This represented the highest 'win' and 'undefeated' rate achieved by a Uganda National Team Coach in over 15 years.

He was Head Coach of the Rwanda National Football Team (2015-16). Within 17 months he led Rwanda to a number of highs - including their first ever appearance in the knockout stages of a major international tournament (Quarter-finals of CHAN, Jan 2016) and finished runner-up in CECAFA (Dec 2105), being named 'Coach of the Tournament' for his efforts. 

Across 2013-14, he was Head Coach of the Sierra Leone National Men's Football team. Within just over a year, he had led Sierra Leone to their highest ever FIFA World and African rankings - 7th in Africa and 50th in the World (August 2014). 

He has also been Head Coach of Saif Sporting Club, Bangladesh Premier League (2018-19); and FK Kauno Zalgiris, Lithuanian A-Lyga (2017-18).   

Coach McKinstry is a European (UEFA), American (NSCAA) and university qualified football coach and a member of Common Goal.

Quotes: What the media say

  • Under his management, the team played attractive football, scored goals and racked up some important results.

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    Eoin O'Callaghan the42.ie
  • McKinstry made an impressive start, losing just one of his first six matches and leading Sierra Leone into the top 50 of Fifa's world rankings, above Northern Ireland, the Republic, Cameroon and Senegal.

    Read More
    Ben Smith BBC Sport
  • Leone Stars shine with purpose... what is even more remarkable is what the young Northern Irishman has done ... the Leone Stars are ranked 50th in the world and seventh in Africa – higher than they have ever been.

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    fifa.com
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