WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 SPORTS Female football chief says FIFA not ready for a women head LONDON: Touted as the possible first female “If I can successfully accomplish the things I Sierra Leone’s most famous clubs, East End Lions sport dominated by men and in a country where leader of world soccer body FIFA, Sierra Leone’s want to do I can see no reason why I would not FC, and with two sports mad brothers. sexism is rife. Her 18-year-old son has had to Isha Johansen said the time was not right for her want to go for the top job eventually,” Johansen She is now owner and CEO of Sierra Leone endure similar abuse on social media, she said. to aim for the top job now but she would not rule said in an interview yesterday. National Premier League club, her country’s top But Johansen said this had not deterred her out a shot at the presidency in the future. “Women definitely should try to aspire to high professional football league. She is also the from her task of leading football in Sierra Leone FIFA was thrown into turmoil in May by US places ... but I was too new in my role to consider founder of football club FC Johansen that she set where she has tried to tackle mismanagement indictments of 14 football officials for alleged this now,” she added, speaking on the sidelines of up as a humanitarian project in 2004 to inspire and corruption head on. corruption and President Sepp Blatter has been the Trust Women conference on women’s rights young footballers and is now in the premier “Sexism plays a large part but it is good gover- suspended ahead of February elections when five run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. league. Johansen said the success of FC Johansen nance that I am driving and it makes it hard work candidates will vie for the leadership and to clean Studies have repeatedly shown that increasing gave her the confidence to run for president of being a woman,” she said. Johansen said she up the game. the percentage of women on corporate boards the Sierra Leone Football Association in 2013, hoped getting more women into leadership roles Johansen, 51, president of the Sierra Leone can improve financial performance, corporate winning the post and vowing to bring discipline, in public and private sectors would inspire a new Football Association, is one of only a handful of social responsibility, and increase the number of sanity and integrity to football in her country. generation of women and that she personally women to ever head football associations among women in other high-level positions. “(Football) was never a career option,” would be a role model for other women to go FIFA’s 209 member countries. Johansen said. “I didn’t see myself coming and a into football administration. She said it was a shame that no women were Never a career option lot of people didn’t see me coming .. and those “The power of football to break barriers is enor- in the running for the FIFA presidency next year Johansen said she had not set out for a career that did thought it was a big joke.” mous,” she said. “We have to try to elevate our but she said this could change in the future as in football but fell into the role as the daughter of Over the years she has faced verbal and physi- young girls to a status both mentally and physi- women took a greater role in the sport. a professional banker who co-founded one of cal abuse for taking such a high profile role in a cally through the power of football.” — Reuters Bengals slump to first defeat against Texans LOS ANGELES: Relief quarterback T.J. Yates team win.” The game featured a sloppy first tossed the game-winning touchdown pass half in which there were six punts, nine to DeAndre Hopkins in the fourth quarter penalties and both quarterbacks led their as the Houston Texans handed the teams in rushing. The second half was not Cincinnati Bengals their first loss of the sea- much better. Early in the third quarter, son with a sloppy 10-6 road victory on Dalton’s deep ball intended for receiver Monday. Marvin Jones was tipped and intercepted Cincinnati (8-1) could not overcome by Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph. numerous errors, with tight end Tyler Eifert Joseph, a former Bengal, has intercepted suffering three key drops and quarterback Dalton in four consecutive games between Andy Dalton struggling to find his rhythm the teams. Hoyer was escorted to the lock- against relentless Texans pressure at Paul er with the Texans trailing 6-3 late in the Brown Stadium. “This was a big game for third quarter. Yates subsequently orches- us, especially when you beat a team like trated a nine-play, 79-yard drive, with his Cincinnati,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien told 22-yard pass to Hopkins putting Houston reporters. “Those guys in that locker room ahead for good. understand what we can do.” Houston (4-5) Hopkins managed to get two feet down lost starting quarterback Brian Hoyer late in inbounds while falling backwards to make the third quarter due to a possible concus- the score 10-6.”Hop’s a go-to guy for us,” sion and Yates came in to complete 5-of-11 O’Brien said. “That was a great catch and passes for 69 yards. Cincinnati had one last throw.” Dalton had another rough night chance when it took over at its own 19-yard under the prime-time lights, going 22-of- line with 3:54 remaining. 38 for 197 yards and an interception. Dalton converted a third-and-18 on a Punter Shane Lechler was a weapon for the pass to receiver A.J. Green to keep the Texans, helping them flip field position on drive alive. Then, on fourth-and-six, Green several occasions. Lechler averaged 46.8 appeared to make a first-down catch but yards on eight punts, including one 64- fumbled and the ball was recovered by yarder. “We’ve got to clean those things Texans safety Quintin Demps. “You play all up,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “A.J. the way to the whistle,” said Texans defen- won’t fumble the ball and Tyler Eifert won’t sive end J.J. Watt, who had two tackles and drop balls (like he did tonight). We’ll make a sack. “That’s the way you have to play plays and catches like we have been and against an 8-0 team. This was an incredible continue to get better at it.” — Reuters DHAKA: Australia’s captain Mile Jedinak (2L) vies for the ball with Bangladesh football player Mohammad Ziban (C) during the Asia Group B FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying football match between Bangladesh and Australia at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka yesterday. — AFP Cahill scores hat-trick as Australia thump Bangladesh DHAKA: Veteran forward Tim Cahill scored his Australian football officials also flagged half we were a little scrappy. In the end I was second international hat-trick as Australia set their concerns to world football governing happy with the performance with the players, aside security worries to thrash Bangladesh 4- body FIFA and the Asian Football three points for us and with it we go home,” 0 yesterday in a one-sided World Cup qualify- Confederation. The match was given the go- he added. Cahill who turns 36 next month ing match in Dhaka. ahead after Bangladesh assured the visitors of won a second consecutive start. He opened Cahill completed his hat-trick inside 37 “unprecedented” security. the score in the sixth minute with a neat minutes after the start and captain Mile Ahead of the match, all the shops and mar- header and then completed the hat-trick with Jedinak scored the other goal as the visitors kets at and around the stadium were shut a scrappy goal in the 33rd minute and a tap in sealed victory in the first half in front of a bois- down, traffic was halted on key roads and the near post in the 37th minute. The three terous near-packed crowd at the each of about 20,000 spectators were body- goals took his record Socceroos’ goal tally to Bangabandhu National Stadium. searched before they were allowed to enter 45. He also scored in the team’s 3-0 win The build-up to the match was overshad- the stadium. against Kyrgyzstan in Canberra last Thursday. owed by security concerns after Western Captain Mile Jedinak made the score 4-0 nations alerted their citizens about a terrorist Much needed victory with a simple header into an empty net from strike in the Muslim majority nation, prompt- The victory was much needed for Australia close range in the 43rd minute. ing the Australian cricket team to postpone a who started the match one behind group Australia rested brilliant Aaron Mooy and CINCINNATI: Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) sacks Cincinnati Bengals two-match Test series in October. leader Jordan. Forfeiting the match due to Massimo Luongo in the second half, allowing quarterback Andy Dalton (14) in the second half of an NFL football game in Tensions also rose after a spate of killings security concerns would have cost the Bangladesh some space in the midfield and Cincinnati, Monday. The Texans won 10-6. — AP of foreigners, policemen and a blast at a Shiite Socceroos three crucial points. the hosts made good use of it to avoid con- shrine that left two people dead-attacks “We came here to win the game.