By S. Siapha Mulbah
The Liberia Amputees Football and Sports Association has again begun crying for financial support to justify their participation and space at an international tournament. This time around, the team is due to participate in the 2024 Amputees African Cup of Nations.
The 2024 Amputee Nations Cup is scheduled to take place in Egypt in April, and this has prompted Liberia’s Amputees National Football Team to begin early preparations at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
While the prestigious tournament is at hand for the start of the second quarter of the year, the team’s chances of meeting its financial obligations remain uncertain despite the effort shown by players to represent the country.
The team has not paid its US$8,500 as participation fee and an annual due payment of roughly US$1,000 which continues to cast a dark cloud on their participation in the competition.
Samuel Tengbeh, President of the Liberia Amputees Football and Sports Association, has made a plea for prompt intervention into the case of the team to the Liberian government, humanitarian groups, and private donors.
In order to finance all of their programs, the president of the Liberia Amputees Football and Sports Association simultaneously urged the Liberian government to raise their annual subsidy to $200,000. He claimed that in order to teach their children how to play the game, a number of parents have begun to bring their amputee kids to the federation.
In addition, Tengbeh stated that they require crutches, athletic supplies, a bus with thirty-two seats, the decentralization of the sport around the nation, and the staging of regular national leagues for men and women, among other things.
“The case of this team’s cry for support is becoming business as usual and could lead to a total breakdown of the current form of players,” he said.
