New President-elect Slams LFA
Monrovia, Liberia – The new core of officers of the Sports Writers Association of Liberia has taken office. In line with the association’s constitution, the officers were chosen at the end of the previous year. The six elected individuals were selected by the Spoerts Writers Association, who attended a Congress and election procedure last year.
Those elected into positions include; Varmah Kamara – President, Christopher Walker – Vice President, Edwin Dolo – Secretary General, Jerome Willie – Assistant Secretary, Naomi Tappia – Financial Secretary, and Yusuf Mafin Sherif – Chaplain.
During the event, Varmah Kamara, the newly appointed president of SWAL, took aim at Mustapha Raji’s administration, saying that it was secretly managing football in Liberia, stifling the media, and causing division among sportswriters, all of which he believed were detrimental to the association.
Mr. Kamara did not mince words when he criticized and brought attention to the urgent problems that sports journalists are still facing since Raji took over at the Football House.
Kamara expressed disappointment over the departing leadership’s inability to get SWAL and LFA to sign a Memorandum of Understanding during the Mustapha Raji administration.
The football house was found guilty by the new SWAL president of secretly choosing a small number of members to cover the organization’s activities while depriving the rest of the membership of firsthand knowledge.
Kamara cautioned against discriminatory methods and urged the LFA’s leadership to allow all sports journalists to participate in its events, particularly those who have sought accreditation.
In order to keep stakeholders accountable, he emphasized the importance of professionalism and integrity in the sports industry and urged sports journalists to stand together.
Kamara questioned the openness of the screening procedures, prior performance histories, pay, and benefits of the new Lone Star Coach and his deputies, alleging that they were not given to the public.
Concerned about the situation of Liberian football, Kamara cited the senior national team’s poor performance in spite of alleged government assistance and FIFA possibilities.
In addition, he questioned the LFA’s lack of transparency about its headquarters, which has led to a legal conflict with the building’s construction company, CESAF-Liberia.
