Monrovia – The Liberia Football Association has apologised to Determine Girls FC attacker Bountou Sylla for discrimination show against the player by it’s deputy Secretary General for legal affairs Benedict Yarsiah.
The accident involving Sylla and Yarsiah the Liberia Football Deputy Secretary General for Legal Affairs, Mr. Benedict Yarsiah stopped Guinean international Bountou Sylla from walking to the podium to receive her league winners medal with her Guinean flag.
Sylla who’s the league’s leading scorer with 51 goals, was stopped by the former LFA competition director who said it’s a Liberian league and the player had no right to walk up the stage with her Guinean flag.
Yarsiah’s action led to Sylla folding her flag as tried sending it out of the pitch before being consoled by some teammates and team officials. She wept and didn’t want to form part of the team’s celebration.
But minutes after his action was posted on social media the LFA issued an apologise to the player and her team.
A release from the LFA states that football house attention were been drawn to reports on social media about an incident that occurred during the medal and trophy presentation ceremony at the end of the Orange women’s division match between Determine Girls and Shaita Angels at the Samuel Kanyon Doe sports complex practice pitch on 2 April.
“It was alleged that acting secretary-general Benedict A. Yarsiah (Atty.) prevented Guinea international Bountou Sylla from celebrating with her country’s flag,” the release said.
According to the LFA communication Atty. Yarsiah said his actions were misinterpreted and represented.
“I reached out to Boutou to explain that I meant no harm to her and I sincerely apologized to her for a misunderstanding of my response to her,” Atty. Yarsiah explained.
Meanwhile, acting LFA President Sekou Konneh has apologized to champions Determine Girls for the unfortunate incident.
Prof. Konneh said Atty. Yarsiah meant no harm to dent the celebration of Sylla and the club.
“I immediately reached out to Sylla and the club when I got the news. Atty. Yarsiah was gracious enough to also reach out to the players. I apologized to Boutou as Ben did and we posed for the photo to show that we meant no harm,” said Konneh.
The release further added that Konneh, Deputy Sports Minister Andy Quamie, protocol and club licensing manager Alex Nagbo, Yarsiah and Sylla posed for the photo in a show of sportsmanship.
LFA executive committee member Beatrice Maime Kpoto also posed for the camera with Sylla.
But Yarsiah later posted on his Facebook page a more defensive respond and ended it with an apologised.
“It is very unfortunate that I’ve been prosecuted and adjudged guilty without anybody, even if I was guilty of all pictorials and write outs displayed, asking to hear from me what actually happened. Howbeit, I’m highly cognizant of situations as they unfold and what depicts such situations to unfold in such manner. I’ve never, will never, did ever stopped player Boutuo Sylla from celebrating with her country (Guinea’s) flag. I know better than that to practice and exercise discrimination,”
I, long with Deputy Minister Quamie, Acting President, Prof. Sekou Konneh swiftly reached out to the player on the field while the celebration was ongoing and passionately apologize to her for just the insinuation and assertion which was permeating the corridors of the program.
Meanwhile, I herewith once more extend to the Determine Girls FC, player Boutuo Sylla and the entire Guineans and Liberians football populace, my sincere apology and assure you that I never, ever stopped player Boutuo Sylla from celebrating with her country, Guinea’s flag. Pictorials depicted on social media, in my mind were just meant to magnify the situation wrongly,” Benedict Yarsiah posted.