Will FIFA Intervention Yield Results

The Inquirer, Liberia
http://theinquirer.com.lr/news_details.php?recordID=5695

Thursday, 11th December 2008

…As 60 Days Ultimatum slips away

Liberia’s sports administrators have barely seven more days left to complete the 60-day ultimatum given them by the World Football Governing Body (FIFA) to draft an improved standard for the Liberian game.

The 60-day period was provided by FIFA to enable Liberian sporting authorities who attended the Zurich meeting some time in October of this year, put in place and institute new regulations for football governance in the country.

The FIFA mandate clearly charged the “political football officials” with the responsibilities to review its administrative and financial structures so as to bring them in line with its (FIFA) standards. During the Zurich meeting which was held between the period of 19-22 October, FIFA also requested that the so-called “football Politicians” amend the current statutes and regulations of the Liberian Football Association (LFA) National Leagues and immediately bring them in line with the FIFA standard statues, an action that every Liberian long awaited.

The Governing Football Body further said that a FIFA development staff would be sent to Liberia periodically to assist the FA in reviewing their administrative and financial regulations, thus ensuring that they are in the direct foot path of the body’s international and widely accepted standards. With those challenges on hand, the so-called “football politicians” returned with the hope of collaborating and working for the common good of the Liberian game.

Unfortunately, there has been no information as it relates to the progress of their gathering but however there have been mounting concerns as to whether the FIFA’s intervention will really yield results with just seven-more-days left.

The sixty-days ultimatum, considerably, was intended to ensure that Liberia have a climate change in their soccer administration as well as reduce the constant claims of corruption, as the FA was by then being operated by a sub-standard financial regulations.

Though it has been a difficult situation getting both the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) and the Liberia Football Association (LFA) to agree on issues of such, the FIFA intervention on the other hand compelled them and strictly defined the role of the FA in special areas thus urged them to agree on a way forward.

Prior to the Zurich meeting, there were serious crisis at the Liberia Football Association involving the FA authority and some aggrieved club officials, which resulted to a complete stand still and postponement of their 2008 Ordinary Congress which was also halted by the Ministry of Youth Sports for fear of threats that were issued by a club official.

As a result of the interest, FIFA immediately dispatched a representative to Liberia who successfully held meetings with parties involved and there after reported findings to its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Due to the constant complains, couple with the representation findings, FIFA resolved to invite the parties involved to find an amicable solution that could help improve the standards of the Liberia game.

With just seven more days left, will the FIFA timely intervention really yield results that every Liberian would love to see or will the 60-day ultimatum serve as 60-minutes of lecture.
Meanwhile, some sports enthusiasts have wondered as to whether the parties involved have been closely cooperating in crafting regulations and standards that could give the Liberia’s game a different look.