Lisburn football coach Johnny vows to stay despite Ebola fears

Head Coach Johnny McKinstry [Leone Stars Training Camp, in advance of Equatorial Guinea game, Sept 2013 (Pic: Darren McKinstry)]

Johnny McKinstry, who is 29, became the youngest coach in international football when he was appointed to lead Sierra Leone in 2013.

He was sacked last month, but has decided to remain in the country despite Sierra Leone’s capital city, Freetown, being one of the worst affected areas for Ebola.

Johnny is currently managing a football youth academy in Tombo, near Freetown and has run the Craig Bellamy Foundation, which coaches youth players aged 12 to 17, for the past five years.

The academy is now in lockdown, with a self-imposed quarantine in place in the 15-acre site but although his family have called for him to return home, Johnny said he will stay put in Sierra Leone.

Talking to the new channel Al Jazeera, Johnny said he promised the parents of his young footballers that he would protect them and stressed that he could not imagine abandoning his players.

He said, “My parents are concerned when they read these things in the papers, it sounds like the zombie apocalypse.

“But we’re like an extended family here, that’s what I’ve explained to my parents. I’ve got 27 kids here and have formed a relationship with each and every one of them.”

McKinstry is the only person who leaves the academy now, making a fortnightly trip into the country’s capital, Freetown, to collect supplies.

He said the city has changed dramatically because people are scared of the disease.

“Sixty to 70 per cent of the expats who were here have gone home now,” he said.

“If I was doing this job only for myself, I’d have gone home. But other people are relying on me, so I’ll stay.”

Although the football academy has been in lockdown for a number of months now, McKinstry said it has not hindered the players’ progress.

The players typically have 12 hours of football training per week and spend more than 20 hours on academic work.

“Their educational performance and levels of behaviour have actually improved since the outbreak,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Their attitude is very humbling. They are cheerful, positive and appreciative of the opportunities they have here.

“We have a scoring system to assess their performance. The behaviour and their scores have never been higher than the last few months.

“One day they will be the leaders of this country.”