More
Than US$500,000 Needed for Foreign-Based Players
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The Inquirer (Monrovia)
January 19, 2005
Posted to the web January 19, 2005
Monrovia
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has agreed to overturn its decision
not to invite foreign based professional players to beef-up the
national team, reports made available to our sports desk, say the
Ministry will need US$506,000 to recall professional players on the
team.
The disclosure was made to our sports desk by Youth and Sports
Minister, Cllr. Wheatonia Dixon-Barnes when she spoke to this paper
yesterday.
Minister Barnes said the amount is needed for the team to invite
foreign players for its remaining five matches in the qualifying round
of the ongoing 2006 World Cup and African Nations cup Campaign.
According to the Sports Minister, if the team would do away with
foreign-based stars and use the local based players, government would
need to make available US$277,000 for the team to play all of its
remaining matches in the competition.
She did not say exactly how these figures were arrived at but stressed
that it cover expenditure for training payment for air tickets,
purchasing of boots among others.
Minister Barnes pointed out that no money is on hand to fund the team
remaining matches. Something which she noted posed a challenge to the
nation for the team to complete its World Cup and African Nations Cup
2006 campaign.
She pointed out that to maintain the team in the competition, there is
a need to raise funds because as she put it, her minister has no money
is its budgets to handle the financial needs of the team.
Minster Barnes disclosed that her Ministry raised these issues with a
the NTGL at a recent Cabinet meeting a move which according to her,
prompted NTGL Chairman Charles Gyude Bryant to set up a special
committee to look into the scenario of using local or foreign players;
raising funds to maintain the team in the competition as well as
settling the US$21,000 fine imposed on the country by FIFA.
According to her, the committee, which is chaired by NTGL vice
Chairman Wesley Johnson, would meet today at 2:30 at the Youth and
Sports Ministry to study the scenario confronting the team.
She said during the meeting, the committee which has 12 members, would
decide on ways to have the FIFA fine pay, the possibility of remaining
or dropping out of the qualifying campaign among others.
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