What will Isha Johansen’s next step be to remain relevant in football? This is a valid question, as she is now experiencing her first 24 hours in four years without a seat on the FIFA Council and her first days in eight years without being an executive committee member of the CAF.
This change follows Johansen’s defeat in the CAF elections in Cairo yesterday, which occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, losing her seat by a wide margin after receiving only seven votes—the lowest number in the contest.
Her journey to the top of football management began when she was elected as President of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) under controversial circumstances at the Kingtom Police mess in Freetown on August 3, 2013, also during Ramadan. This election positioned her to become the first Sierra Leonean to serve on both the CAF Executive Committee (2017-2025) and the FIFA Council (2021-2025) after winning those elections.
However, she stepped down as SLFA president a few months after securing her FIFA seat in 2021, which may have weakened her position going into Wednesday’s CAF elections.
As it stands today, Johansen is neither the SLFA president nor a member of the FIFA Council or CAF executive committee.
So, what’s next for her? Will she run for the top position in this year’s SLFA elections, or might she be appointed to a role within FIFA? Only she knows what her next move will be to continue being relevant in top football management. Good luck to her!
