Sierra Leone's Kallon brothers still working together

Sierra Leone's Kallon brothers Mohamed, Musa and Kemokai say that their sibling rivalry as kids on the streets of Freetown helped them develop as footballers and now as coaches.

The retired trio all played overseas and all represented Sierra Leone and are now all involved in the club owned by the youngest brother Mohamed - FC Kallon.

The brothers, who despite their careers all overlapping were only in the same Leone Stars squad once, talked to BBC Sport Africa about their lives in Sierra Leone's football spotlight.

Healthy rivalry

Mohamed Kallon, who may be the youngest but is the best-known of the brothers, says that their rivalry is one of the reasons behind their success as footballers.

The 41-year-old played for top European clubs Inter Milan and Monaco as well as captaining the national team.

"We had a healthy rivalry when we were younger because all three of us hate to lose," Mohamed, who recently acquired his Uefa Pro License, told BBC Sport Africa.

"The rivalry was about competition to win matches and it started from street football in the neighbourhood in Freetown where we grew up.

"It progressed to a better understanding with each other and teamwork when we were together in the national team and it helped to shape our careers."

Playing for Leone Stars

The only time the Kallon bothers were in the same squad for Sierra Leone for a 1996 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over Niger. Musa is on the far left of the front row, Mohamed is fourth from the left on the front row and Kemokai is standing third from right.

Kemokai, who unlike his siblings played at every age level for Sierra Leone, echoes those sentiments.

"We liked to compete with each other from a younger age and it helped us a lot to shape our football careers," the 48-year-old told BBC Sport Africa.

"We came from a footballing family as my late father was a die-hard fan of a premier league club in Sierra Leone Mighty Blackpool and my uncle was a footballer."

For the eldest brother Musa, 50. the highlight of his career was playing alongside Mohamed as the Leone Stars thrashed Niger 5-1 in a 1996 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Kemokai Kallon during his playing days

The victory, which helped Sierra Leone qualify for the finals in South Africa, included a goal for Mohamed and a brace for Musa but was also tinged with disappointment as Kemokai was an unused substitute.

That turned out to be the only time that Mohamed and Musa played together at any stage of their senior careers, although over the years Kemokai did feature alongside one or other of his brothers many times.

"I will never forget the day I played alongside Mohamed for Leone Stars against Niger, It was a great day and I was very happy," Musa told BBC Sport Africa.

"It was the first time I saw Mohamed playing as I had been away from Sierra Leone for a very long time.

"I felt so good, it was exceptional, excited and a special moment for the three of us and our entire family as Kemokai was on the bench.

"I was thinking of my mum when playing because she, together with my dad was at the stadium watching us for the first time, and it was a delightful and emotional moment for the both of them.

"It wasn't easy because there was lots of pressure on us to deliver and thank God we delivered.

"We helped Leone Stars to qualify for the Nations Cup finals but unfortunately Kemokai didn't make it to the finals in South Africa due to injury."

Musa Kallon

There was another moment of history for the Kallon brothers in South Africa with Mohamed scoring the winning goal against Burkina Faso, after replacing Musa, as Leone Stars recorded what is still their only win at a Nations Cup finals.

Mohamed, who also won the Asian Champions league with Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad, added that playing alongside either of his brothers had its advantages and disadvantages.

"Playing alongside my brothers was a plus for me, although it also put a lot of pressure on us to deliver," he explained.

"I got more confidence and motivation whenever I played with my brothers because I know their characters.

"Just like other players in the national team then I had respect for the fact they were very competitive. I played more matches with Kemokai who was a no nonsense defender."

Mohamed is also grateful for the advice he received from his older brothers throughout his career.

"Both Musa and Kemokai used to advise me on and off the pitch and I thank them for that," he continued.

"I remember how Kemokai helped to boost my confidence when I made my Leone Stars' debut against The Gambia in 1995. I was a small boy and he encouraged me to give out my best which I did."

Kemokai Kallon (right) with his brother Mohamed representing Sierra Leone

Kemokai, whose success came despite the fact he has slightly deformed right-foot after he fell down some stairs during his childhood, echoed Mohamed's thoughts.

"I felt more motivated whenever I was playing with any of my brothers," Kemokai said.

"It was always a great feeling to play alongside my brothers and it was a dream come true.

"It was unique for three of us to be in the same Leone Stars squad and it was a big family achievement.

"I played more matches in the national team with Mohamed than Musa and I was very protective of them, particularly the former. I was the only defender amongst us and a no nonsense one.

"There was a 2002 Nations Cup qualifying match we played against Togo in Lome in 2000. Mohamed was our star player and he was frequently being fouled by the Togolese defenders.

"So I retaliated by fouling Togo's star player, Emmanuel Adebayor, several times. Adebayor went to Mohamed and complained and my brother told him to tell his defenders to stop fouling him and he would tell me to reciprocate."

Former Sierra Leone captain Mohamed Kallon completed his Uefa Pro Licence in Italy alongside Juventus coach Andre Pirlo

The trio are now passing on their footballing experience to the next generation with Musa and Kemokai working as part of the technical team at Kallon FC.

Mohamed has spent time coaching in the United States and is now looking to continue working overseas after earning European football's highest coaching qualification, the Uefa Pro Licence

Musa has already enjoyed some success as a coach when he led Sierra Leone to the runners-up spot at the 2003 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Swaziland (now Eswatini) and was in charge of the team at the Under-17 World Cup in Finland that same year.

Playing overseas

Sierra Leone's former Monaco striker Mohamed Kallon says he wants to change the perception of black coaches at the highest level

The trio all played professional football abroad after playing in Sierra Leone's top tier.

Mohamed played for several European and Asian clubs and among his highlights was nine goals in 29 matches for Italy's Inter Milan, making him the club's second highest scorer behind Christian Vieri for the 2001-02 season.

His only silverware came in 2005 when he helped Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad to win the 2005 AFC Champions League, when he was also the competition's top scorer with six goals.

He ended his career at home at the premier league club he owns Kallon FC.

The versatile Musa had two stints as an outfield player for Mighty Blackpool either side of playing for Sierra Leone rivals East End Lions as a goalkeeper. He won the Sierra Leone Premier League title in his second spell at Blackpool in 1988.

He then moved to Cameroon where he featured for two clubs Union de Douala and Racing club de Bafoussam before featuring for clubs in Romania, Turkey, Portugal and Australia.

The soft spoken Kemokai played for five local clubs Freetown United, Old Edwardians, Mighty Blackpool, East End Lions and Kallon FC.

He also plied his trade in Guinea for AS Kaloum and also featured for Swedish side Café Opera and Lebanese club Tadamon Sour where Mohamed started his professional career.