Germany and Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger, whose roots trace back to Sierra Leone, today Monday December 22, paid a courtesy visit to 𝐒𝐋𝐅𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐢 𝐊𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 and members of the 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 at the SLFA Secretariat in Kingtom, Freetown.
President Kamara praised Rüdiger’s continued love and support for Sierra Leone, particularly his consistent display of the 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐠 on global football stages, describing it as a source of immense national pride.
President Kamara, in a light-hearted remark, said it was an honour to meet a 𝐔𝐄𝐅𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫, while reaffirming the SLFA’s belief in the country’s 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭.
He emphasized the Association’s commitment to identifying, nurturing and developing young players and expressed readiness to𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐑ü𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫 on initiatives to advance football development in Sierra Leone.
Responding, 𝐑ü𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 at visiting the SLFA Secretariat, noting that although he was born in Germany, his roots are firmly in Sierra Leone, which is why he proudly carries the national flag.
He revealed his dream of establishing a football academy in Sierra Leone, stressing that its realization would require the 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐋𝐅𝐀 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, as the meeting was attended by the full Executive Committee.
