LFA Clarifies Media Report on County Meet
The Liberia Football Association says at no time did its president discredit the National Government’s County Meet program.
According to an LFA release, the president of the Football House, Musa Bility instead did praise the role of the National Government over the handling of the County Meet, which he described as the most popular sporting event in the country, over the LFA National League.
The LFA President, however, did proffer future approach to the County Meet program aimed at buttressing the current objective of the government.
He said in the future, he would hope to see Counties bidding for the hosting right of the tournament, where government’s usual funding could be spent in the host County on infrastructural development for legacy.
He added that business houses could then be solicited to source the organization of the event, thus relieving government of extra expenses.
The LFA President, serving as a panelist, made the assertion while responding to a reporter’s question on the essence of the County Meet at the Sports Writers Association- organized Herbert Grisby Memorial Forum at the Headquarters of the Press Union of Liberia in Monrovia. The LFA President’s proposal on the way forward was, however, slanted and skewed quite deceptively.
In its Monday December 13, 2010 edition, the Daily Observer newspaper ran on its sport page a disturbing story title: “LFA Frowns on Gov’t for using US$2M”.
The writer quoted the President of the LFA, Bility as accusing “the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf-led government of using about US$2m since her ascendency in 2006, by appropriating budgetary allotment to support the National County Sports meets.”
The paper went on, “the Government should have solicited sponsorship from business and corporate entities as compare to the football house’s US$500,000 sponsorship deal with Cellcom GSM……”
Much as the LFA hopes for the government to follow corporate approach to the County Meet, it will never channel such through controversy, badmouthing or discrediting manner.
The LFA said no amount of new recommendations will make past initiatives of the government awful since, in fact, the County Meet remains second to none in the Country.
The LFA said it remains thankful to government through the Sports Ministry for turning over to it control of all football activities, including the full management of the National Teams.
The release quoted the LFA as saying the only football event still in the hands of the Ministry is the Country Meet, but noted that it does not regret this because the Ministry was doing quite well with it.
Football observers see the LFA’s clarification against the recent media reports as a “cover-up” realizing the aggravated nature of its President’s recent remarks to the government.
