Sierra Leone head coach John Keister has claimed that he was subjected to death threats before announcing his squad for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), set to get underway in Cameroon on Sunday.
A day before revealing his 28-man squad, Keister stated that he received two threats regarding including certain players in his team.
The 51-year-old has since reported the threats to the Police in the West African country.
“I think it’s very, very sad that it has to come to this,” said the Sierra Leone coach, whose contract with the national team ends in 2023.
“Whatever walk of life you are in, nobody deserves that. I don’t think it should get to that point where my life is being threatened because people feel players should be in the squad, and if they are not, this is what they are going to do.”
Keister has had stints at different England clubs including Walsall. He also represented Sierra Leone between 1997 and 2003.
The Manchester-born tactician has ensured that the Leone Stars quality for Afcon finals for the first time in 25 years.
“We have come a long way [so] there’s no reason for the death threats,” added Keister.
“I’ve got family, I look after these boys and I have a job to do. It gets me angry and for me, where I have come from and my background, I feel there is something I need to do about it. Regardless of the job, I need to do something about it.”
Keister’s troops will tackle defending Afcon champions Algeria, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea in Group E.
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