Sheriff Suma

Sheriff Awilo Suma (born 12 October 1986) is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Atlanta SC and the Sierra Leone national football team. He was a member of Sierra Leone U-17 team at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland. Suma made his senior international debut for Sierra Leone on 3 September 2006 in a 2008 African Nations Cup qualifying match against Mali in Freetown.

Sheriff Suma
Suma with Sierra Leone
Personal information
Full name Sheriff Awilo Suma[1][2]
Date of birth (1986-10-12) 12 October 1986
Place of birth Freetown, Sierra Leone[1]
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Left winger[2]
Club information
Current team
 Atlanta SC
Number 5
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2005 Kallon FC
2005–2006 Åtvidabergs FF 49 (7)
2007–2008 GAIS 14 (0)
2008 → Haugesund (loan) 11 (1)
2009 Ermis Aradippou 14 (2)
2010 Kocaelispor 5 (1)
2010–2011 Jönköpings Södra 22 (3)
2011–2012 Ravan Baku 38 (1)
2013 FC Johansen
2014–2015 Syrianska Kerburan
2015 Ravan Baku 17 (1)
2018– Atlanta SC 20 (3)
National team‡
2006–2013 Sierra Leone 36 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 25 October 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:00, 9 March 2019 (UTC)

Suma is one of the most popular Sierra Leonean footballers and he is known for frequently changing his unusual and colourful hairstyles.[3]

Football career

Suma was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Like many African footballers, Suma grew up playing street football in his neighbourhood.

He fled his country's civil war and moved to The Gambia in 1997. Suma was widely considered the best Sierra Leonean youth footballer while in The Gambia. In 2001, the young Suma was discovered by Sierra Leonean football agent Chernor Musa Jalloh while playing in a local football league in Banjul, Gambia. Jalloh introduced Suma to Mohamed Kallon, Sierra Leone's most successful footballer. Kallon asked him if he would like to play for Kallon F.C. in the Sierra Leone National Premier League. Suma returned to Sierra Leone for the first time in five years in 2002 and sign for top Sierra Leone National Premier League club FC Kallon, which is owned by Mohamed Kallon himself. In his first season in the Sierra Leonean Premier League, Suma was the second top goal-scorer.

After playing in the qualifying rounds, Suma was omitted from the final squad for the 2003 African U-17 Championship in Swaziland, something he describes as the worst moment of his life. In the championship, Sierra Leone placed second, behind Cameroon, thereby qualifying for the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland.

Fortunately for Suma, he was called back to the squad for the U-17 world championship in Finland. While the team failed to advance past the group stage of the tournament, the coach commended Suma for his energy and flair with the ball. Following this event, 12 of the 23 players failed to return to Sierra Leone and some later applied for political asylum. Among those who did return home was Suma.

Shortly After the U-17 world championship, talent scout Chernor Musa Jalloh helped Suma moved to the Swedish team Åtvidaberg on a two-year contract from Kallon F.C.. In December 2006, Suma was traded to GAIS, one of Sweden's oldest teams.

Suma was loaned to FK Haugesund in the summer of 2008 for the rest of the season.

In December 2012 Suma was released from his contract with Ravan Baku.[4]

In June 2014 Suma joined Syrianska Kerburan with fellow Sierra Leone International Samuel Barlay,[5] signing a new one-year contract with Syrianska Kerburan in December 2014.[6]

In July 2015, Suma's proposed move to Kvik Halden FK fell through,[7] before later in the same month he re-signed for Azerbaijan Premier League side Ravan Baku FK.

Career statistics
As of 12 November 2013[8][9][10]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Åtvidabergs 2005 Superettan 234–234
2006 263–263
Total 4970000497
GAIS 2007 Allsvenskan 90–90
2008 50–50
Total 1400000140
Haugesund (loan)2008 Adeccoligaen 111–111
Ermis Aradippou 2009–10 Marfin Laiki League 14200–142
Kocaelispor 2009–10 PTT 1. Lig[11]5100–51
Jönköpings Södra 2010 Superettan 101–101
2011 11120–131
Total 2122000232
Ravan Baku 2011–12[12] Azerbaijan Premier League 28110–291
2012–13[13] 10010–110
Total 3812000401
Career total 15214400015614

References
  1. Sheriff Suma at National-Football-Teams.com
  2. Sheriff Suma at WorldFootball.net
  3. Remoe, Vickie. "Sheriff Suma: Man of the Moment | Sierra Leone News". www.switsalone.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  4. "Google Translate". translate.googleusercontent.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  5. "Big-Sam återvänder till klubben". www.syrianskaif.com (in Swedish). Syrianska Kerburan. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  6. "Barlay, Suma sign new deal with Syrianska IF". http://www.footballsierraleone.net/. Football Sierra Leone. 18 December 2014. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  7. "Suma's contract with new club cancelled". http://sierraleonefootball.com/. Sierra Leone Football. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  8. Sheriff Suma at Soccerway. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  9. "EP Football Sheriff Suma". http://www.eliteprospects.com/. Retrieved 12 November 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)
  10. "Sheriff Suma". https://svenskfotboll.se/. Retrieved 12 November 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)
  11. "Sheriff Suma TFF". http://www.tff.org/. Retrieved 12 November 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)
  12. "Premier League Stats 2011/12" (PDF). Peşəkar Futbol Liqası. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  13. "Premier League Stats 2012/13" (PDF). Peşəkar Futbol Liqası. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
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