Monrovia – Liberia FIFA-badged referee George Roger was attacked by Watanga goalkeeper Sam Doegbee following the goalie’s side 7-0 defeat to Barrack Young Controllers in the Liberia Football Association First Division league.
Report by Christopher Walker, [email protected]
Doegbee, who was an unused replacement in the match, hit Rogers in his face after the full 90 minute of football display. Doegbee’s hit allegedly resulted into a cut on Rogers’ face. The action by Watanga keeper was followed by brutal exchanges between both sport personalities.
The player was protesting what he said was the referee’s poor officiating of the match by awarding a penalty to BYC and the sending off Watanga’s striker Kelvin Kollie in the opening stages of the match.
The match was a decider of group ‘A’ of the LFA League in which high flying Watanga played below expectation.
Roger, who is also a senior officer of the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), was already dressed in his official LIS uniform when Doegbee attacked him and he responded in defending himself.
Both men exchanged punches in the present of fans before some junior officers of the LIS and LFA Security arrested the situation.
Tuesday’s attack on Referee Rogers is the second attack on a referee as Bristol FC and BYC II game could not end in Kakata when fans and players of Bristol evaded the pitch in protest that added time was too long.
Fans on the scene want the Liberia Football Association frown on the action of the player, saying that his behavior was totally against the rules of football.
Some are seeking for the prosecution of Doegbee or be banned from participating in all football activities in the country.
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica, former FIFA-badged referee Ebenezer Stanley Konnah condemned the keeper’s act and urged all football lovers to do same.
He said the passion for the game should not result into ugly behavior of fans, technical staffs and players.
“This is unacceptable in football for a referee to be attacked by a player; we condemn it.”
Meanwhile, officials at the Liberia Football Referee Association (LFRA) have disclosed to this paper that they are going to write a former communication against Watanga and the player to the LFA.
It is believed that LFA intends to haul the team and the player to a meeting later this week. This newspaper has reliably been told by a source that in that meeting, a lifetime ban from all LFA recognized football activities maybe placed the player.
However, the ethics board is awaiting the official report from referee before it can act, a source close to the incident confided in this newspaper.
This source assured that the FA will do all to see to it that its referees gets the needed care and are fully protected.
‘This is not a norm for us. We have heard of verbal abuse but we are strict about that and I don’t know how it happened. It came from nowhere. It’s horrible. Every lover of the game wants him banned.”
FPA has learned that Rogers is planning on reporting the situation to the national security agency because he was in his official uniform as a security personal when Doegbee attacked him.