African Sports Monthly Mar, 2015 | Page 70

The football aspect; I don’t think I would change much. My approach to the game remains unchanged. I want to play attractive, attacking football – something that gets supporters on their feet and is a joy to watch. But I now know a few things to look out for, and fix certain things before they become issues on the administrative and logistical side; because that is where teams can be tripped up in their pursuit of success. ASM: Now this interview will not be complete without asking you about your views about the infighting in Sierra Leone football. How did you deal with it and what is your take on all the wrangling that went on around you? Johnny: For me, I am a football man, and my first concern was always the players and the team. The infighting between the SLFA and the Ministry of Sport in Sierra Leone is very disappointing, because if they can come together, then as a footballing nation, they can achieve so much with the talent they have available, and the young players who are coming through in leagues across the world. If I am honest, I think the fact that I tried to stay neutral between the two parties and simply focus on the team may have contributed to the decision to let me go. “I look upon it as someone trying to walk a tightrope, with my focus being straight ahead on success for the Leone Stars. To my right was the Sierra Leone Football Association, and to my left was the Ministry of Sport. Now occasionally when on a tight rope you have to reach out and balance on something. Occasionally this would be the SLFA, occasionally this would be the Ministry of Sport. But overall you keep moving forward in the center ground. The problem however was, I think, that if you weren’t sat in somebodies office, then they assumed you were in the other camp”. So in actively choosing not to pick sides and focus on the team, the end result may have been that both parties believed you were in the ‘opposition camp’. Very disappointing…but if I had to do it again; I would still look to walk that tightrope in the middle ground. The team, and success of that team has to be the most important component of your job; not playing politics. You have to stay true to your own value system, and I can look back on my time, sometimes in the middle of the crossfire, and know that I did. football play? Johnny: I think Equatorial Guinea did very well to stage the tournament at a short notice. It is amazing really when you think about it. Yes – there were some issues with hotels and transport of teams, but overall I think they were to be expected, and actually we have to applaud the hosts for being able to do what they did following CAF’s decision that the tournament would go ahead on the dates originally planned. In terms of quality, I was a bit disappointed. There were a lack of composure in many games, especially in front of the goal, and as such we did not see the number of goals that might have been expected – with numerous chances being blasted wide through nothing more than a lack of final quality and calmness from the players involved. ASM: Thank you very much for answering our questions. We will be in touch as time goes on Johnny: It has been a pleasure, and hopefully we will talk again soon when I finalize my next coaching role. ASM: We started this interview with a mention about you being a TV analyst. What is your take on the just concluded African Cup of Nations tournament; organizationally and quality of 7