Sports Ministry
Denies Tickets Scam
Minister at the Ministry of Youth and
Sports Wheatonia Dixon-Barnes
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.
June 15, 2004
-The Ministry of Youth and Sports has denied claims that
there seems to be a big scam in sale of tickets for the Mali versus
Liberia on June 6, as was reported by The Analyst Newspaper on
Monday.
The Sports Ministry, via a press release issued by its
Public Affairs Bureau, said The Analyst should have sought the facts
from authorities of the Ministry.
The Ministry alluded to the fact that it has the
statutory mandate to handle all matters relative to tickets for
matches, but noted that all arrangements for handling, printing and
sales of tickets for the Liberia-Mali match were done alongside the
Liberia Football Association (LFA) and the Ministry of Finance.
The Sports Ministry maintained that it at no time was it entrusted
with thousands of dollars worth of tickets outside the arrangement
set forth by the three institutions nor was the amount
misappropriated as is being alleged.
The Ministry disclosed that it did realize L$3,066,985 rather than
L$2 million as was reported by The Analyst. The amount, according to
the Ministry, is the highest ever to be generated since the
construction of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
The release said the ticket committee is finalizing its report for
publication and not busy concealing financial figures as was
published.
"All of this information would have been available to the writer had
he come to the proper authority and not to sneak around low level
functionaries who have no insight of what is happening in the
Ministry," the release indicated.
The release added, "at no time did the Minister of Youth and Sports
Hon. Wheatonia Dixon-Barnes snub the Sports Editor of The Analyst
Newspaper when approached on the issue of tickets. This is public
information and the Minister would have been quick to divulge it."
The Ministry then admonished all sports writers to consult its
Public Affairs Office for any information or clarification regarding
the functions and activities of the Ministry."
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