3 Players Banned for “Whipping” Referees
 
By Leroy M. Sonpon, III
leroysonpon@yahoo.com
(231-886-585875)


The LFA boss and some of LFA referees
The Central Monrovia Sub Committee of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) has banned three players for assaulting (whipping) referee Abraham Sheriff during a league match between Mimba point FC and Young Arsenal on Monday.


The three players are George Blamo and Alex Walker, both of Mamba Point FC and Prince Weah of Bassa Community FC.

Striker George Blamo and his teammate Alex Walker were given two-year suspension for “Indiscipline Action” against the match official, while Prince Weah was slapped with 6-month suspension, for lesser evil, which was done earlier.

According to the Game Director of the Central Monrovia Sub-Committe of the Liberia Football Association third-division league, Anthony Massaye, the players were banned for their rude behavior exhibited against the referee, at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) on Monday.

He maintained that the Sub-Committee will not relent on disciplining any player or team official who failed to show good sportsmanship.

“Letters to their suspension, have already been given to their respective teams and we hope this will serve as a deterrent,” Mr. Massaye told our reporter yesterday.

Statistics show that referees are typically been flogged by players, fans and teams’ officials, who claimed to be cheated, an event which led to the suspension and relegation of 1st division outfit, FC Fassell.

According to reports, in Janaury-2011, players and fans of Fassell FC whipped a referee Joe Macauley, who officiated the match between them and Fulani FC at the Kakata Sports Pitch in Margibi. The game ended 0-0.

After investigation, th team was fined US$1,500 for the assault, but only paid US$500, an incident which caused a “unforgiving decision” from the Executive Committee of the LFA as a way to curtail players’ rudeness.

The EC suspended FC Fassell for one year and relegated the team to 3rd division. The EC also rendered the players as free agents and also banned Cassell Kuoh, the President of FC Fassell indefinitely for match-fixing, pending investigation.

The FC Fassell boss, in desperate reaction to LFA’s decision, sued the LFA to court and was accused of hiring “thugs” for demonstrating in front of the headquarters of thongs the LFA on Benson Street and at the house of the President of the LFA (Musa Bility), in Duport Road.

In related development, the Sports Writers Association of Liberia (SWAL) condemned the action taken by the Liberia Football Association (LFA), through its Executive Committee (EC), to relegate FC Fassell from first division to third division.

SWAL claimed that the LFA should have suspended the players involved in the attack, as it is done in other parts of the world, rather than relegating the team and declaring its players as free agents, as well as reopening the transfer window for the club’s players to find new clubs.

SWAL also frowned on the action taken by FC Fassell Boss Mr. Cassell A. Kouh to take the matter to court with threat of an injunction on the LFA league.

The group noted that the FC Fassell boss should have used the arbitration means available to seek redress rather than going to court.

Unfortunately, SWAL failed to condemn the strike action of the “Thugs or Demonstrators” that protested in front of house of LFA boss, which created fear and insecurity to the Bility’s family and his neighbors.

Meanwhile, SWAL has therefore called for a conference between both the LFA and FC Fassell family to resolve the matter, which is yet to be resolved.