Africa-Press – Liberia. A former Liberian Footballer, Jonathan Armah Baxter, is calling on Senator Jonathan Boy Charles Sogbie, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth and Sports, to collaborate with the Ministry of Youth and Sports in conducting a comprehensive search to verify long-standing claims that the late President Samuel K. Doe awarded parcels of land to members of the Lone Star football team in the 1980s.
Baxter, who once played for NPA Anchors, Mighty Barrolle, and St. Joseph Warriors, said he continues to hear reports from the public suggesting that President Doe, then Liberia’s Chief Patron of Sports, gifted large portions of land to players of the national football team for their outstanding performances in CAF and FIFA World Cup qualifiers during that era.
“I am calling on Senator Sogbie because the story keeps coming up that President Doe gave land to Lone Star players in the 1980s. If this is true, those lands should be identified and returned to the rightful beneficiaries,” Baxter told FrontPage Africa.
According to the former midfielder, the matter should have been properly investigated under the administration of former President George M. Weah, himself a former national team star.
“President Weah was part of the Lone Star setup in the late 1980s and benefited from President Doe’s generosity,” Baxter noted. “He was in a strong position to help locate those lands or clarify what really happened, but he didn’t act for reasons best known to himself.”
Baxter urged Senator Sogbie to take the lead in reviving the matter, saying such an initiative would serve as a symbol of respect for the country’s football heritage and inspire the new generation of national team players.
“If it’s true that President Doe gave land to Lone Star players, and if those lands are legitimate, they should be given back to those who deserve them,” he stressed. “It’s time for Senator Sogbie, as head of the Senate Sports Committee, to work with the Ministry of Youth and Sports to carry out a comprehensive search. This would set a good example for today and future Lone Star players to continue performing at their best for the country.”
Tribute to Senator Sogbie
Baxter also commended Senator Sogbie for his “progressive and practical ideas” aimed at advancing sports development across Liberia.
“I want to thank Senator Sogbie for the sports initiatives he continues to champion for the good of the youth and the country,” Baxter said. “I hope the entire Senate will support ideas that help rejuvenate sports in Liberia.”
The former player maintained that the government must take deliberate steps to address the welfare and recognition of past national team athletes who, he said, “laid the foundation for the country’s football image.”
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