Coaching impasse settled in time for Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone avoided a clash over who would be in charge of their team in the African Nations Cup qualifiers at the weekend when one set of rival coaching teams stepped aside at the last moment.

John Ajina Sesay and Abdulai Bah took charge of a morale-boosting goalless draw away in Cameroon on Saturday after their rivals for the post - Atto Mensah and John Sama - agreed to stand down even though they had prepared the team for the match.

Mensah and Sama travelled with the team to Yaounde at the start of the week for the Group D qualifier while Sesay and Bah only arrived on the eve of Saturday's game.

Sesay and Ba were appointed by the Sierra Leone Football Association after last month's sacking of the Irishman Johnny McKinstry.

But the Sierra Leone sports ministry, who bankroll the side, had named Ghana-born Atto Mensah, who is a former Sierra Leone international and had been working in the Netherlands, in charge.

"I'm backing out in the interest of my country Sierra Leone and the players," Mensah said after a lengthy meeting to settle the impasse came close to a physical confrontation, the BBC reported.

Sierra Leone ceded home advantage for Saturday's match because of a ban on any international games in their country since the Ebola virus outbreak.

Saturday's draw was Sierra Leone's first point of the qualifying campaign. They play group leaders Cameroon again on Wednesday effectively needing a surprise victory to keep alive hopes of qualifying for next year's finals in Morocco.