Christopher C. Walker
Africa-Press – Liberia. Sources close to the technical staff of the national Football team of Liberia have informed FrontPage Africa that Liberia senior national team technical staff have not taken paid for months.According to our source the technical staff have complained that they have not been paid their monthly salaries for a period of three months, something they say is troubling for the national team.
Our source also disclosed that the head coach of the national team Ansu Keita is the only one who is been pay regularly while is backroom staff is owned three months.
Keita according to our source is been pay directly by the National Port Authority while his deputies are to be pay by the government of Liberia who has delay their pay for months.
The LFA and the government of Liberia have not paid Assistant Coach Cooper Sannah, Trainer George Gebro, Goalkeeper Trainer Nathaniel Sherman, Team Doctor Torsou Jallabah, Administrative Manager Sabastian Collins, Kit Manager Tommy Johnson since they last received their February and March 2023 salaries at the end of March, but they have continued to work for the months of July, August, and September without the Football House and Government giving any reason for the delay.
Salary arrears have been one of the persistent problems on the national team of Liberia under all of its past and present presidents of the government of Liberia and LFA as the Government is yet to pay technical staff.
According to our source who asked for anonymity the technical staff signed a two-year contract with the LFA and government on February 7, 2023 which is Active and Inactive.
The contact states that technical staff will only be pay when the national team has game and when the team is training but when there is no game they will not be pay for said period.
But the technical staff started work in July preparing the national team for the African Nations Championship and continue up to September for the nations cup qualifier with Morocco which was postponed due to the earthquake in Morocco.
“This is creating serious problem for us and we are not being told by the Government and LFA why the delay in us receiving our monthly benefit.”
“Every day we want the national team to win but there is no support imagine technical staff have not taken pay for three months, we have families to take care of but we cannot due to our salary delay.” He told FrontPage Africa.
According to him, it is the second time in two years the LFA have owed them as they were again in a similar situation when Peter Butler was coach of the national team.
It can be recalled in 2017 than national team coach James Debbah and technical staff were owned seven months’ salary arrears by the Liberia Football Association.
Also Liberia Football Association on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 announced via its Facebook page the indefinite suspension of coaches’ contract due to what the LFA termed as financial reasons.
The LFA also attributed its decision on Liberia’s absence from international competition until March 2018. In the release issued by the LFA it said its action was taken in consultation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, who is the owner of national teams.
In respond to the LFA’s decision than under 23 head coach Thomas Kojo said the decision by the FA was counterproductive to the development of football in the country.
When contacted on the LFA and government owing the technical staff of the national team LFA president Mustapha Raji refer FrontPage Africa to the Ministry of Youth and Sports who is the owner of the national team.
But in respond to our inquiry Youth and Sports Minister D. Zeogar Wilson said he could not speak on said inquiry. “LFA is the manager of the national team, please direct your inquiry to them kindly,” minister Wilson reply in a messenger chat.
Meanwhile The Lone Star will return to action this month with two matches in Morocco. The first is an international friendly against Libya in Cassablanca on Saturday, Oct. 14, before the AFCON qualifier match against Morocco in Agadir, which had to be rescheduled because of the earthquake.
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