The rescheduled 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is around the corner and clubs all over Europe are sweating over the loss of their African stars to their respective national teams competing in the biennial tournament. But amongst the stars plying their trade in Europe, one name stood out amongst the rest – Alie Sesay. The Sierra Leone defender was notable for being the only Southeast Asian-based player competing in this year’s AFCON, representing Persebaya Surabaya in the Liga 1 Indonesia.
Having been honed by the Leicester City academy, Sesay has been a cornerstone in the Persebaya defense this season, playing 13 out of Persebaya’s 16 league games so far this season. Sesay’s tireless performances in the Persebaya backline this season did not go unnoticed by the Sierra Leone national team, with the defender deservedly receiving a call-up to the prestigious AFCON this upcoming January.
Sesay’s name was included in the 40-man provisional squad drafted up by Sierra Leone head coach John Keister. Joining Sesay in the provisional list are former MLS journeyman Kei Kamara, Randers FC striker Alhaji Kamara, Queens Park Rangers defender Osman Kakay, and former Liverpool, Southampton, and QPR defender Steven Caulker, who currently plies his trade in Turkey with Gaziantep FK.
Sierra Leone are drawn into Group E in this year’s AFCON, where they will play against Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, and the Ivory Coast. Algeria will bring their full strength squad into the AFCON, which includes Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez, West Ham United striker Said Benrahma, and Al-Sadd’s Baghdad Bounedjah, while the Ivory Coast will be bringing the likes of Ajax Amsterdam striker Sebastien Haller, Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha, AC Milan star Franck Kessie, and former Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier.
Facing the prospect of losing Sesay’s services for a while, Persebaya head coach Aji Santoso told Bola that he already has a contingency plan for such a case. Aji plans to pair Rizky Ridho with Arif Satria in the Persebaya defense in Sesay’s absence, putting into consideration Ridho’s experience with the Indonesia national team being more than enough to cover for the Sierra Leone international.