LFA Begins League Saturday

By Wleh Bedell - Analyst Sports Commentator

It is the dream for every club manager or player to play at the top flight in order to showcase their talent, earning some money and improve their livelihood.

 As Analyst Sports Commentator Wleh Bedell reports, the opposite is happening on this side of the globe.

 Football is life they say and those involved in it should develop and raise their standard as they stand to benefit a lot.

Action from last season league

 And, as Liberians join millions of people around the world to  promote the progress of the world’s most popular sports, the  global leather, the Liberia  Football Association (LFA) is  about to stage another marathon but ‘unachievable’ league season.

Beginning this weekend, soccer crazy fans will begin trooping the league’s usual venues, the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS), the Doris Williams Sports Stadium in Buchanan as well as the Unification Town Sports pitch in Margibi County.

 Firstly, the local football house has put a halt to the relegation issue. The decision is whole-heartedly welcomed by even the most unrealistic fans.

 Taking into account the Liberian system, where there is not much competition due to just a few numbers of clubs in the first and the so- called premier leagues, it was appropriate that the local football house abort the relegation issue to increase the number of clubs, which would bring more competition.

 Because, the more the clubs, the stronger the competition and the lesser the clubs, the weaker the competition. The FA should be hailed for such a worth while undertaking.

Mighty Barrolle's Toe Bryant

 But the timing with such salient decision leaves one to raise eyebrows as to whether the FA seems indecisive.

 Why in fact should the local football governing body make such a decision with just few days to the commencement of the league?

 Though, there were contrasting views on the matter, in the not too distant future the LFA should be timely in making such decisions.

 Now that this relegation issue is put to an end, another National league season is beginning this weekend.

 But the objective of the league is however question, after clubs failed to travel in Africa to compete with their counterparts on the continent, as this has impeded the promotion of younger talents to clubs on the outside as is done in other countries.

 With club presidents digging in their pockets to finance their respective clubs, there are no incentives or subsidies given to complement their efforts.

 Another season is coming where clubs play without benefiting from gate intakes. This is because the clubs tend to owe the FA instead of it being the opposite.

 After a match, spectators are head counted and clubs in turn pay for yellow or red cards received during league matches thus being indebted to the FA.

 Following every marathon league season, it is the LFA that stands to benefit leaving the clubs in a deficit.

 Another league season is coming where there are conflicts in drawing up fixtures.  Clubs will either play more games in less than a week, which is mainly done in the second division, thus making players to go through torrid times due to fatigue and injury.

Coach Ray Moulton- Which way?

 Or clubs having a month break after a game as is done in the first and premier divisions makes players inactive and match rusty.

 Another season is coming where players leave for modest and lowly rated league in Asia with clubs on few occasions footing the traveling bills of their players only to be ostracized and left in the cold with respect to receiving transfer fees.

 With all these factors, pundits are not looking at the opening of the league season with much interest.

  But are instead pondering as to whether the FA is actually set to develop football in the country.

 Does the FA now have sponsors for the league? The pundits are anxious to know.

 Though there are no TV rights, will the clubs too have the names of the players on the back of the Jerseys? What is the role of the Premier, First and the Second Division Clubs President Association in these critical periods of football development?

 Clubs Presidents have been accused of being reticent in engaging the FA on issues of football transformation in the Liberian game.

 Football followers would concord that the standard of football in the country continues to degenerate due to a lot of lapses at the helm of the game.

Liberia football-crazy fans at ATS

  Much of the players are unexposed, because they are mainly focused on playing on the local scene for almost a fun fare, the news of sporting authorities intend using only the local lads for the Lone Star in international competition is worrisome.

 Liberia undoubtedly has a reservoir of talents, but once there is not a well structured program to harness these talents, our aim of developing the game so as to be on par with other countries will be a hoax.

 As the new league season begins on Saturday, let’s hope that this time around clubs will break the jinx of traveling for continental competitions. And, the LFA would be able to make amends in improving relevant issues outlined.

 Let fair play be the order of the day and may every one be the winner.

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