Isha Johansen

Isha Johansen, known as the Iron Lady of Football, may not be a professional athlete, but her unwavering fighting spirit qualifies her as one. Hailing from a family deeply rooted in Sierra Leone's football legacy, with her father a prominent figure in the East End Lions Football Club, Isha was introduced to the sport from a young age.

In 2004, she took a remarkable step by founding her own Football Club, FC Johansen, with the aim of supporting local children and providing them with an incentive to excel in school in her Freetown community. FC Johansen swiftly ascended the ranks, moving from the Sierra Leone Division 1 League to the Premier League Division within a year of its inception.

Beyond football, Isha is a dedicated businesswoman and savvy entrepreneur. Five years after establishing FC Johansen, she launched the African International Youth Tournament, a prestigious event that attracted youth football clubs from across the globe to Sierra Leone. Additionally, she made history as one of the few female founders of a magazine publication, ‘Rapture Magazine’. As FC Johansen flourished in the Sierra Leone Premier League and with the success of the AIYT, a significant opportunity arose when the then President of the Sierra Leone Football Association, Nahim Khady, retired. Embracing the evolving landscape of football, particularly in advancing women's football, Isha decided to vie for the position. Her victory made her the first woman to lead the Football Association in Sierra Leone and the fourth globally, following pioneers from Liberia, Burundi, and the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.

Although her tenure as the head of the Sierra Leone FA was challenging, Isha persevered through the obstacles. In 2021, she triumphed over Lydia Nsekera of Burundi, a former Women's Football administration official, to secure a position as a FIFA Council member. Shortly thereafter, she was appointed Vice Chairwoman of CAF's Women Committee.

Isha has played a pivotal role in promoting women's football through initiatives like 'Powerplay', aimed at empowering women and girls to participate in the sport. Regarded as a shining star in football, Isha has been identified as a potential candidate to become the first female president of FIFA.