Isha Johansen

Isha Johansen was born as Isha Tejan-Cole in Freetown, Sierra Leone, into the Tejan-Cole family, who are of Aku Mohammedan descent. She was immersed in football from the very beginning, as her father co-founded East End Lions F.C. in Freetown.{{cite news |title=Sierra Leone's FA president Isha Johansen: Meet Africa's most powerful woman in football |author=Lydia Smith |newspaper=International Business Times |date=November 21, 2015 |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/sierra-leones-fa-president-isha-johansen-meet-africas-most-powerful-woman-football-1529757}} Her father took her to see football matches, and she played football with her brothers and their friends. She was educated at a convent school in Freeport and a boarding school in Yeovil, England.{{cite news |title=Sierra Leone's Isha Johansen blazes trail amid tragedy and infighting |author=Anna Kessel |newspaper=The Guardian |date=January 24, 2015 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/24/sierra-leone-isha-johansen-ebola-sexism}}

Isha Johansen founded her own football club, F.C. Johansen, in 2004. The club was started with the objective of giving guidance and opportunities to children whose lives had been disrupted by the recent Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2002). It began playing in Division One in 2011 and was promoted to the Premier League the following year.{{Cite web |date=2012-05-14 |title=Johansen out to be first lady |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/18058967 |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}

Johansen was elected president of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) unopposed on 3 August 2013,{{cite web|url=http://africayoungvoices.com/2013/08/isha-johansen-becomes-first-woman-slfa-president/|title=ISHA JOHANSEN becomes first woman SLFA President|work=africayoungvoices.com|access-date=2013-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213148/http://africayoungvoices.com/2013/08/isha-johansen-becomes-first-woman-slfa-president/|archive-date=2016-03-03|url-status=dead}} after her main opponent, former Sierra Leone international footballer Mohamed Kallon was disqualified by the Sierra Leone Football Executive committee for not meeting the SLFA residency requirement in the country.{{cite web|url=http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/football/1015306-fresh-turmoil-in-sierra-leone-football-elections-as-former-player-kallon-disqualified|title=Fresh turmoil in Sierra Leone football elections as former player Kallon disqualified|work=insidethegames.biz|date=29 July 2013 }}{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201308010912.html|title=allAfrica.com: Sierra Leone: Kallon, Rodney React to SLFA Disqualification|work=allAfrica.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23549250|title=BBC Sport - Fifa endorses decision to ban Kallon from SLFA election|author=Mohamed Fajah Barrie|work=BBC Sport}} Kallon appealed his disqualification, but the FIFA delegation to Freetown confirmed the disqualifications of Kallon and two other candidates (for links to gambling), so Johansen was unopposed. When Sepp Blatter was pressured to step down as head of FIFA, Johansen was touted as a possible successor in the press.{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/03/football/fifa-sepp-blatter-football-isa-johansen/ |title=FIFA elections: Should football elect a woman to replace Sepp Blatter? |author=James Masters |date=February 4, 2016 |publisher=CNN}}{{cite web |url=http://www.eurosport.com/football/why-can-t-isha-johansen-be-fifa-s-first-female-president_sto4993593/story.shtml |title=Why can't Isha Johansen be FIFA's first female president? |author=Desmond Kane |date=November 18, 2015 |publisher=Eurosport}}

She launched Powerplay, an initiative to encourage women and girls to play the game and to help empower them. It has the support of FIFA and the Confederation of African Football.

She also started the annual African International Youth Tournament in 2009.

On 7 September 2016, SLFA President Isha Johansen, Vice President Brima Kamara and Secretary General Christopher Kamara were jailed by the Anti-corruption Commission for failing to provide reports regarding the SLFA's financial statements and the use of money.{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-leone-football-corruption-idUKKCN11E02I |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908021825/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-leone-football-corruption-idUKKCN11E02I |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 8, 2016 |title=Sierra Leone Football Association officials arrested by anti-graft agency |author= Umaru Fofana |date=8 September 2016 |work=Reuters}} The trio were released after posting bail.{{cite news |url=http://www.espnfc.us/sierra-leone/story/2946073/top-sierra-leone-fa-officials-spend-night-in-jail-in-corruption-investigation |title=Top Sierra Leone FA officials spend night in jail in corruption investigation |date=8 September 2016 |agency=Associated Press}} FIFA defended the SLFA in a letter, stating, "FIFA has no reason to suspect there has been misuse of funds that FIFA has provided to the SLFA", having audited the SLFA's accounts earlier in the year.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37432190 |title=Fifa backs Sierra Leone FA in use of funds |date=21 September 2016 |publisher=BBC News}} In June 2021, after an 8-year stint as president of SLFA Johansen withdraw from an upcoming election, with her reasons being that her new role in the FIFA Council would demand her travelling globally and playing a higher level and more active role as a global ambassador for football and FIFA.{{Cite news|last=Barrie|first=Mohamed Fajah|date=3 June 2021|title=Johansen withdraws from Sierra Leone FA polls|language=en-GB|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/africa/57328498|access-date=9 August 2021}} She was succeeded as SLFA president by Thomas Daddy Brima on 5 June 2021.{{Cite web|last=Football|first=CAF-Confedération Africaine du|title=Sierra Leone - Thomas Daddy Brima Elected New FA President|url=https://www.cafonline.com/news-center/news/sierra-leone-thomas-daddy-brima-elected-new-fa-president|access-date=2021-08-09|website=CAFOnline.com|language=en}}

Johansen was also an executive committee member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) from 2017–2021,{{Cite web|date=2017-03-16|title=Sierra Leone's FA boss Isha Johansen elected into new CAF Executive|url=https://footballsierraleone.net/2017/03/16/sierra-leones-fa-boss-isha-johansen-elected-into-new-caf-executive/|access-date=2021-08-09|website=Football Sierra Leone|language=en-GB}} doubling as the president of the women organizing committee.{{Cite web|last=|date=2020-11-09|title=Sierra Leone FA President Isha Johansen endorses Patrice Motsepe for CAF President|url=http://www.soka25east.com/sierra-leone-fa-president-isha-johansen-endorses-patrice-motsepe-for-caf-president/|access-date=2021-08-09|website=Soka25east|language=en-US}} In May 2021, she maintained her role as an executive committee member but she was succeeded by Kanizat Ibrahim as the president of the women organizing committee whilst she took the role of vice-president to continue the mission of improving women's football in Africa.{{Cite web|last=Football|first=CAF-Confedération Africaine du|title=New leaders for CAF standing committees|url=https://www.cafonline.com/press-release/news/caf-standing-committees-adorned-with-new-leaders|access-date=2021-08-09|website=CAFOnline.com|language=en}}

On 12 March 2021, she was elected into the FIFA Council after defeating Burundian Lydia Nsekera, who had held the position since 2013, by 28 votes to four during the CAF General Assembly. This made her the first West African woman elected into the council and the first Sierra Leonean to join the 37-person team.{{Cite web|last=Ahmadu|first=Samuel|date=12 March 2021|title=Isha Johansen becomes Fifa Council member as Kanizat Ibrahim wins Caf exco seat {{!}} Goal.com|url=https://www.goal.com/en-gh/news/isha-johansen-becomes-fifa-council-member-as-kanizat-ibrahim/5n4tsxhutbmv1c79jg2icaf5t|access-date=9 August 2021|website=www.goal.com|publisher=Goal}}{{Cite web|last=AfricaNews|date=12 June 2021|title=Interview with FIFA Council member Isha Johansen from Sierra Leone|url=https://www.africanews.com/2021/06/12/interview-with-fifa-council-member-isha-johansen-from-sierra-leone/|access-date=9 August 2021|website=Africanews|language=en}}

In 1993, she became the first woman publisher in the country's history, producing Rapture Magazine, an entertainment publication. She was also contributing editor to Ovation magazine. She founded the Pink Charity Fund to combat breast cancer in 2006 and the Women of Excellence Awards.

She was raised in a religious Muslim family. She is married to the Norwegian Consul in Sierra Leone, Arne Birger Johansen.

{{reflist|30em}}{{FIFA exco}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johansen, Isha}}

Category:1965 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sierra Leonean businesspeople

Category:Sierra Leonean women in business

Category:Football people in Sierra Leone

Category:Oku people

Category:Sierra Leonean Muslims

Category:People from Freetown

Category:Members of the CAF Executive Committee

Category:Women association football executives

Category:FIFA officials

Category:Women FIFA officials