ALAN JOHNSON looks at how Sir Stanley Matthews and his famous 1953 FA Cup final influenced football affairs as far away as Sierra Leone

The history and influence of English football stretches to every corner of the globe: Everton de Viña del Mar, Chile. Arsenal de Sarandi, Argentina. Berekum Chelsea, Ghana.
One of the more intriguing football club names one might discover, however, is that of Mighty Blackpool, who play in the National Premier League of Sierra Leone, a former British colony. The team’s colours are tangerine, like their English counterparts and Kabs Kanu of...