By S. Siapha Mulbah
The Management of Liberia Football Association National Second Division Club, Gardnersville Football Club, has distanced it team from its Technical Director James Salinsa Debbah assertions made against top sport administrators including LFA president Mustapha Raji.
The second trial outfit said Debbah’s comments in a social media publication linking FA president Raji and Deputy Minister for Sport Andy Quamie to alleged match-fixing strategies were all in his own name and not on the behalf of the club.
In a release issued on the team’s official social media platform days after the FA legal minds summoned the former national team player and coach, the team’s management disclosed that it is pleased to distance itself from whatever publication made by its Technical Director Debbah.
“Though Mr. Debbah is our Technical Director, but the publication made was done in his name not Gardnersville Football Club,” the release added.
The nation’s Most Celebrated Star in a published and subsequently deleted social media post claimed that LISCR and Watanga are two majestic clubs technically owned by the emperor in LFA president Raji and his Special Assistant Quamie.
The controversial Mighty Barrolle legend further alleged in the post that the two clubs have the most leverage and that they are so powerful that no match officials dare flinch or blink when officiating their games, because it could lead to possible suspension.
The Liberia Football Association through it legal affairs Manager, Benedict Yarsiah, said it sees Debbah’s claims as vilifying.
Both LISCR and Watanga won the league cup and league title last season and the two were again in the final of the league cup this season with LISCR clinching the cup along with the championship.
The two teams are however among the most organized clubs in the country with some of the best local talents.
Meanwhile Debbah sees the summoned from local FA as a joke that that could be meant to frightens him against revealing ills in the sporting sector.
He said, “It does not require a rocket scientist to identify some of the flaws with regards to the officiating of some of the matches in the Orange National League, notably matches involving LISCR and WATANGA.”
According to him, he made specific reference to the LFA Orange Cup match between LISCR and Gardnersville FC at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium that was won by LISCR on penalties shoot-out after a 1-1 draw.
“Gardnersville FC was denied two justifiable penalties by the central match official who was later suspended for couple of weeks after the investigation. This particular match (LISCR-GFC) was pinpointed out as a case study by the CAF instructors who conducted the just ended CAF B License course at the SKD,” Debbah added.
