A sports advocacy group under the banner of Liberia Sport Lovers Association (LSLA) says it is set to petition the Legislature through its committees on Youth and Sports to probe the alleged mismanagement of a US$319,000 at the Football House.
This amount, according to the group, was received by the local football house under its current president Mustapha Raji from the world governing body, the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), to be used for various clubs in the LFA’s database to develop their operations.
However, it is alleged that the said amount was not given to the clubs as agreed by all executive members of the local football house, rather, president Raji singlehandedly, with no consultation to his colleagues, diverted such as to construction group CESAF, thus leading to the resignation of then Secretary General Isaac Montgomery due to disagreement with his boss.
The group of sport lovers in a press statement issued in Monrovia recently, called the attention of the House of Representatives to probe into the matter, because failure to enhance accountability has the proclivity to undermine sports development in the country.
“Folks, we are pressed to flag these issues because it is something that border on the survivability of our Liberians soccer players. Like we have said time without numbers, it is time that Mr. Raji goes for wrongful governance of the football house, which has the propensity to end FIFA’s support to the country,” the release asserted.
It said further, “We are calling on the Legislature’s respective Committee on Youths and Sports to probe into this matter because it has the proclivity to undermine sports development in Liberia, under President Boakai.”
The second term regime of Mustapha Raji as head of the Football Association has come under the spotlight of immense criticism with numerous protestations from different groups wishing him to relinquish his position with two years to the LFA elections.
It can be recalled that recently a group under the banner of ‘Citizens United for the Promotion and Development’ of Soccer took him to task and called for his resignation for his “poor” leadership ability at the helm of the country’s footballing house.
The group at the same time also decried the recent appointment of the new coach of the national soccer squad, the Lone Star, stating that the appointment greatly influenced by the LFA president due to personal interest.
But recently at the 28th Ordinary Congress of the Liberia Football Association held in the Swankamore Community, Raji called on concern pressure group and critics to his administration to engage into activities of development of football in the country by getting involved into process that will create opportunities.
He frowned that many claiming to be sport stakeholders are claiming to be in the interest of football but are not prepared to get in the process of revamping the game.
He added that many are being reported used to accomplished selfish desires while others are hoping to get to the Football association for high core criminality.
