By Andrew Koffi and Betty Kodjo,

More than two-thirds of women working in football have experienced sexism in the workplace, according to a new survey which also found more than a third believed they were underpaid compared with men performing the same job.

The research lays bare the scale of the discrimination in the game, showing that of those who had experienced sexism in the workplace almost a third had witnessed women being told they were unable to do their job because of their gender.

Madam Isha Johansen the Sierra Leone FA President  who also doubles up as CAF Executive Committee member is the most powerful woman in African football and she has personally suffered this many discriminations back at home in Sierra Leone as Africa and the World celebrate her distinguished career that has led her to unchartered waters.

As a woman in Africa,being an influential figure in  football a la Isha Johansen is no mean feat.But as a woman in  a once war-torn country like Sierra Leone, being the most powerful person in football is almost unfathomable.This explains the many people in government and betting sydicates that are all hell bent in ensuring she never leads or imposes her football vision.

Despite the trailblazing success of women like the Sunderland chief executive, Margaret Byrne, and West Ham United’s vice-chair,Karren Brady, they remain very much in the minority. Brady has spoken often of the sexism she faced earlier in her career as Birmingham City managing director and the will required to succeed in a man’s world that is what Johansen is facing in her own native Sierra Leone.

The rise of the most powerful woman in African football is what we refer as a dream come true because of her love for football and  her dedication to humanitarian work that made  Johansen truly remarkable

“My over 15 -year career in football administration nationally and globally has from the onset been centred around bringing integrity and good governance into football,” Isha Johansen said

“I was simply driven by a humanitarian desire to help some underprivileged young boys all under the ages of 11 who were playing football on a rocky slope just metres away from my home,” she says.

“I watched them for a few months and no matter what time my husband and drove past the patch, these boys would be tirelessly playing football.

“It then dawned on me that they had neither a place to play  or a home in the true sense of what the average person would call a home. “That’s when I decided to step in and to cut a long story short, I struck a deal with them that if they promised to stay in school and do the educational bit, then I would support them with their passion for football.”From there, FC Johansen was born as she climbed the ladder through hardwork and determination in a game only managed by men in Africa.

Isha Johansen’s aim of improving Sierra Leone football through representation at all levels of the game by challenging discrimination,match fixing and lobbying for change in the sport industy not only in Sierra Leone but across the World by eliminating negative attitudes towards both men and women working in football.

Johansen has played vital roles in making the game a success and by sharing professional experience,she hoped to encourage more young boys and girls to get involved in football across the board.

She’s changed the lives of dozens of underprivileged young men in Sierra Leone through her project FC Johansen, which aims to keep boys in school by supporting their love of football.

 

Johansen grew up in a football-loving household. Her father co-founded one of Sierra Leone’s most famous clubs, East End Lions FC, and took her to stadiums to watch matches as a child.

In the past Johansen has done a lot of work to raise the profile of women in Sierra Leone.

She founded the Women of Excellence Awards, which recognises and celebrates women working in the region for their achievements.