The Liberia Football Association, the national football governing body of Liberia, often referred to as the nation’s most popular sport, is gearing up for a critical and challenging year by laying out the variables that will lead to the 2010 LFA general elections.
Football stakeholders, according to the governing body, passed a resolution to have a ‘mini congress’ that was canceled in November and postponed indefinitely. The decision was to ratify the revised LFA statute, which focused on the eligibility of the electorate and candidates, amongst others.
Another reason for the cancellation of the congress was what the LFA termed as the lack of availability of the approved revised statute from the world football governing body, FIFA and the 2007/2009 audited reports from Vascon Certified Auditing Firm.
The Acting Chief Scribe of the LFA, Sam Bedford, told journalists that the revised LFA statute is yet to be approved by FIFA. The LFA’s head of Legal Counsel, Cllr. Theophilus Gould, did not obtain a visa to travel to Zurich, Switzerland to defend, argue and further justify the statute for subsequent passage by FIFA for its use in Liberia.
“As for financial documents, the auditing firm is yet to finish and submit the report, again owing to limited time,” Bedford said.
The year 2010 having arrived, frustrated stakeholders, who beg anonymity, are strongly demanding that the LFA hold or postpone the mini congress to a definite date. It is expected similar measures will be taken against the General Congress in March 2010, a decision which has been decided by the Congress.
The stakeholders, comprising presidents and secretary generals of premier, first and second division teams speaking under the banner ‘Concerned Stakeholders,’ angrily told Daily Observer that they had learned of the LFA’s deliberate attempt to postpone the elections until after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
“We are aware of the LFA’s tactics and vices; we gathered information that they are up to postponing the general elections.
“Any postponement of the elections from March 2010 to be held after the World Cup, we will have an interim leadership that will steer the affairs of the LFA,” the stakeholders asserted.
Since 2008, the world football governing body, FIFA, has questioned the statute of the LFA for not being in accordance with FIFA’s statue and up to present, is yet to approve the LFA revised statute drafted by Gould and others.
It can be recalled that in 2008, the LFA, headed by Izetta Wesley, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Etimonia David Tarpeh and the aggrieved clubs represented by Mustapha Raji, went to Zurich, Switzerland, to settle a dispute, which called for the expulsion of some premier, first and second division clubs that had failed to participate in the 2008 National Football League.
At the end of the meeting, the LFA was given 60 working days by FIFA within which to revise its statute in keeping with the consultations with the premier, first and second division teams, and working closely with the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
“The postponement of the mini congress and the general election will end up with the interim leadership because Izetta Wesley’s administration has failed to live up to the mandate of the congress. The congress is the highest decision making body of football in Liberia,” one stakeholder opined.
When contacted, the secretariat of the LFA ensured stakeholders of the holding of the mini congress and general elections as mandated of congress, but still failed to state the specific date on which it would be held.