Football enthusiast and owner of Politico Newspaper Umaru Fofanah reckon it was sensible to bring along the oxygen behind Sierra Leone national, the fans to the Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Fofanah, who was dancing with Sierra Leonean fans before and after the Leone Stars famous draw with holders Algeria in Douala on Tuesday, was responding to questions by this medium.

“The fans are the oxygen the players breathe – they need them, they need all the chantings from the stands, all the support, it brings out special adrenalin in them. So, the importance of the fans cannot be overemphasised, which is why, in football matches, home games matter, because that is where the real fans are. The majority of the fans are, as supposed to playing away, where your fans are easily eclipsed,” Fofanah told FSL News in Douala.

He added, “Fans are very important, and I am sure the footballers themselves can tell you that. The cheering they were hearing for them contributed tremendously toward the very spectacle performance they put up.”

After Sierra Leone impressive display, Fofanah now looks forward to the Ivory Coast game and Leone Stars chances to make the round of sixteen.

“I hope and truly believe that if our guys put up the same performance they did against Algeria. I saw the Ivory Coast match as well. And I don’t think Ivory Coast were convincing that day when they had their opening match against Equatorial Guinea.

“I strongly believe if our boys put up the same performance they did against Algeria, we definitely will have the maximum points against the Ivory Coast. Agreed that it is not far away from Cameroon. There are lots of Ivorians here, I watched their match there were lots of Ivorians, but we are mobilising.”

A win against Ivory Coast will surely mean Sierra Leone will reach the Continental showpiece knock-out stages for the first time in its history.

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