Ebola virus: Johnny McKinstry vows to stay in Sierra Leone
"One day my Academy boys will be the leaders of this country"....
"One day my Academy boys will be the leaders of this country"....
Former Sierra Leone coach, 29, opts against fleeing the country in order to manage a youth academy....
Holed up in the football academy he runs for the Craig Bellamy Foundation in Sierra Leone as fear and suspicion spreads throughout Africa, Johnny McKinstry is standing firm...
Mail on Sunday "Almost 7,000 fans packed the stadium in Freetown to watch irishman Johnny Mckinstry take his first training sessions with the national team..."
365football.com "Johnny McKinstry is the current manager of Sierra Leone, who are aiming to reach the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1996. "
Coach McKinstry is hopeful he will be appointed Sierra Leone coach on a permanent basis...
Irish Examiner "The Lisburn man is now one of the youngest ever senior international football managers..."
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You can read more about Coach McKinstry's:
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.