By Mahamood Fofana
The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has officially appointed Mohamed Lamin Kamara (MLK) as Assistant Coach II of the Sierra Leone senior men’s national team, Leone Stars, adding one of the country’s emerging coaching talents to the national team’s technical setup.
The appointment, confirmed on 5 August 2026, follows Kamara’s impressive spell with East End Lions, where he guided the club to three major trophies within two years the 2024 Unity Cup, 2024/25 Leone Rock Premier League title and 2026 Orange FA Cup.
The achievements have strengthened Kamara’s reputation as one of Sierra Leone’s most successful young coaches and earned him widespread recognition within the country’s football community.
Kamara’s coaching credentials, however, extend beyond domestic club football.
In 2025, he led Sierra Leone’s National Under-20 team to the country’s first ever qualification for the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, after the team finished runners-up at the WAFU Zone A Championship.
The achievement represented a major milestone for Sierra Leonean youth football and demonstrated Kamara’s ability to develop young players while competing at regional level.
With more than a decade of coaching experience, Kamara has worked across several levels of Sierra Leonean football.
He previously served as Head Coach of the Craig Bellamy Academy from 2012 to 2016, becoming the first African to occupy the position.
His coaching career has also included spells with Young Doctors FC, Pathfinders FC, Central Parade, Wusum Stars and East End Lions, in addition to his involvement with Sierra Leone’s U-15, U-17 and U-20 national teams.
Among his notable achievements was helping Wusum Stars avoid relegation and finish ninth in the league.
He also guided Sierra Leone’s U-17 side to the WAFU U-17 semi-finals in Mauritania and led the U-20 national team to the WAFU Zone A final in Liberia before securing historic qualification for the CAF U-20 AFCON.
Kamara is known for his possession based and attacking football philosophy, often associated with a “tiki-taka” approach, as well as his emphasis on youth development.
His coaching philosophy has earned him a reputation for discipline, tactical organisation and the ability to maximise the potential of emerging players.
His rise through the coaching ranks has also been closely linked to East End Lions, a club he has supported since childhood.
Kamara grew up travelling from Port Loko to Freetown with his late father to watch and support East End Lions.
Years later, he returned to the club not as a supporter in the stands, but as the coach responsible for guiding the side to a period of domestic success.
During a previous conversation with this author, Kamara described his time at East End Lions as a particularly memorable chapter of his coaching career.
He also identified Musa Noah Kamara, popularly known as Musa Tombo, as one of the most challenging players he had coached, while praising fellow coaches Alusine Dumbuya and Mohamed Fofanah for their commitment and technical qualities.
His appointment to the Leone Stars technical bench now presents Kamara with a new challenge at senior international level.
His experience in youth development, domestic football and regional competitions is expected to add depth to the national team’s technical structure as Sierra Leone prepares for upcoming international engagements.
The appointment has been welcomed by football stakeholders, supporters and colleagues, many of whom have expressed confidence that Kamara’s tactical knowledge and experience could contribute positively to the development of Leone Stars.
For Kamara, the move represents another significant step in a coaching journey that has taken him from supporting East End Lions as a young fan to helping shape some of Sierra Leone’s most successful football teams.
His immediate task will be to translate that experience into the national setup and contribute to the continued development and competitiveness of Leone Stars.
