Africa-Press – Liberia. The match between Grand Gedeh and Nimba County was characterized by a faulty on-field drama that left supporters in disbelief after the Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that the game could not continue due to poor visibility. This means the potential winner will have to wait until Monday to determine their fate in the semi-final.
The match saw reigning Champions Nimba taking a 17th-minute lead through Emmanuel Sieh’s header from inside the area, but Nush Zohn leveled from the spot for Grand Gedeh after a deliberate handball in the area that was initially ignored by referee Josephus Torjilar.
However, assistant referee Ephraim Grant called the referee through the communication set, and the referee awarded the spot kick which was beautifully dispatched by Zohn. Grand Gedeh then took the lead after the interval when Zohn found space down the left flank, cut inside, and fired a stunning effort that sent the Grand Gedeh supporters roaring inside the stadium. But Nimba got themselves back on level terms following a dominant spree in possession. Mohammed Keita received a delicious pass from the flank that he blasted into the back of the net to level proceedings and take the game to extra time.
For the greater part, it seemed that the extra 30 minutes were imminent until the organizers, through the stadium announcer, Oxford Brown, announced that the extra minutes could not go ahead due to poor lighting. The announcement led to frustration among supporters inside the stadium.
But the big question is, who will bear the extra cost of completing the entire game on Saturday? Both teams have to prepare for the match, plus additional expenses surrounding the match, which include transportation and other incentives. The workload places extra financial obligations on the teams. Supporters said the Minister, Deputy Ministers, Assistant Ministers, and Directors at the Ministry knew about the bad lighting situation at the stadium, noting that it was not something inherited in the match between Nimba and Grand Gedeh.
A supporter for Grand Gedeh, Linda Keweah, said the situation displayed a deliberate act of neglect and lack of responsibility from the organizers of the tournament. She said, “I am really not happy with what happened in the match. It is like inflicting a serious wound on the credibility of the tournament and putting more expense on the already struggling counties, which have to look for money that they do not have.” A prestigious source within the Ministry of Youth and Sports has informed FrontPageAfrica Sports Desk that the situation regarding the lighting at the SKD Sports Complex is an old issue and should have been addressed, knowing that the matches would eventually go to extra time in the tournament. “Whatever the reason was, the MYS knew before today that there were issues regarding the lighting and preventing the situation from the onset could have been the best outcome for Liberians who paid money to come and see their counties play,” the source said.
Our source added, “We are gradually losing credibility. The entire country saw what happened and how can we explain this disgraceful act to the people when it was vividly clear from all indications.” Another supporter, Andrew Johnson, said that the ill-functioning lighting situation has exposed the organizers but said they should have assured the public where they stand on the issue to prevent its recurrence. “The obvious thing to do now going forward is for the MYS to inform the public of their stance regarding the lighting situation. Is this problem never going to be repeated in the tournament again if a match goes to extra time? These are some of the things we need to be informed about from the MYS,” he said.
Meanwhile, Daniel Toe and Weah Blamo each sealed River Gee County’s spot in the 2023/2024 National County Sports meet semifinals after defeating Bong County 2-1!
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