On St.
Anthony, Black Star Merger:
"I Have No Regret for My Decision"
-Says Jenkins Pelenah
April 8, 2003
Siebo D. Williams
Monrovia
"I have no regret for my decision for St. Anthony FC to merge with
Monrovia Black Star," those were the words of Mr. Jenkins Pelenah when
he spoke to this paper yesterday following call by Mr. Adolph
Lawrence, owner of St. Anthony for the LFA to nullify the merger.
Speaking in a serious mood, Mr. Pelenah said his decision to merge
with Monrovia Black Star stemmed from that fact since Mr. Lawrence
left Liberia in 2000, he has not supported the team.
He said although they received some money from transfers, the amounts
were used to run the team. Quizzed whether he informed Mr. Lawrence
before the merger, Mr. Pelenah responded in the affirmative. "I called
Adolph and told him about the arrangement and I wanted to know his
position, but he never responded."
He added that Adolph had not supported the team in the last 26-28
months. "I told him that I wanted to dissolve the team, but he did not
response. I came as an administrator, but due to lack of support, I
had to become a financier," Mr. Pelenah added.
Commenting on players not receiving money, Mr. Pelenah said when
players Eugene Gray, Sunday Seah and Oscar Glaydor came from India,
they told St. Anthony officials not to give them any money since it
was through the team that went to India. "We used their money to run
the team for the league. There were no jerseys and we had to buy boots
and other materials," Mr. Pelenah pointed out.
He said he was surprised when Mr. Lawrence asked him to send him some
of the money received from the transfer of the players. "I refused to
do so because it would have signaled that Adolph was broke. We
therefore used the money to run the team affairs," Mr. Pelenah
stressed.
On those claiming to be sponsors of St. Anthony, Mr.Pelenah said they
were doing so with mischief. He said he knows nobody to be a sponsor
because since Adolph left they have not contributed to the team.
He then said he inherited an account at LBDI that he cannot go into to
run the team since the signatories are Adolph Lawrence, Peter Boker
and the General Manager of LBDI. "Adolph can withdraw from that
account and use if for himself because the team has no access to it.
The financial aid we got from the LFA and deposited there is still
there," Mr. Pelenah said.
Concluding, Mr. Pelenah acknowledged that Adolph did invest
substantial amount of money into the team when he was here, but he has
abandoned the team at the moment, and thus he decision to merge with
Black Star was to keep the spirit of the team alive.
He said St. Anthony only provided the status, while Black Star will
handle the financial aspect as of now. Mr. Pelenah then urged Mr.
Lawrence not to run the affairs of St. Anthony FC in the press. "I am
not associated with fraud, so let not Adolph think I will do anything
to rub him of his team. He asked me as a friend to run his team, which
I did to this point," Mr. Pelenah concluded.
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