The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has appointed French coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa as the new head coach of the national football team, Leone Stars.
Da Rosa, 56, succeeds Mohamed Kallon, whose departure was announced in April. The Frenchman was selected following a recruitment process that reportedly attracted 79 applicants.
The experienced coach has worked across Africa and the Middle East, managing clubs in countries including Guinea, Tanzania, Sudan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He is best known internationally for guiding Botswana to qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, ending the country’s 15-year absence from the tournament.
Da Rosa has also coached Guinea’s Horoya AC and Tanzania’s Simba SC, winning domestic honours during a career spanning more than a decade in African football.
In his first remarks following the appointment, Da Rosa said his backroom team would include Sierra Leonean coaches, signalling an effort to combine international experience with local expertise.
His appointment comes as Leone Stars seek to revive their fortunes ahead of upcoming international competitions, including the qualifying campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
