Paynesville City- The National County Sports Meet (NCSM) Grievance and Complaint Committee has dismissed Grand Bassa protest after it had claimed Bomi County fielded two ineligible players in their final match in Group A.
By Jaheim [email protected]
Grand Bassa were held to a 1-1 draw against Bomi County and sought the rules and regulations governing the tournament to replace their rival in the quarter-final at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
Grand Bassa protest specifies that Bomi fielded two players who were not fully registered, which the match commissioner had deemed illegal. The players identified are Sekou Kamara, who wore jersey #22 and plays for FC Fassell, and Edwin Wainpa, who wore jersey#23 and plays for Down Town FC.
In Bomi County communication, these two players, who Grand Bassa deemed illegal, were replaced by Kelvin Konuwa and Varma Dorley, who sustained major injuries.
Accordingly, Bomi County said that they informed the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) and in a communication resigned by Minister Jeror Cole Bangalu, they were allowed to field replace both players who were injured.
However, the committee chaired by Atty. Kollie Dorko recognized in the ruling Tuesday evening, January 21,2025, that Bomi County featured the two players based on the consent of the organizers, the Ministry, as was confirmed during the hearing by the administrator of the MYS portal (player roster). Accordingly, he stated that the protest is void-ab initio meaning ‘an action that never had legal effect.’
Kollie stressed that the protest fee was paid on January 20, 2025, more than six hours after the game was played in violation of Article 17, subsection 7.1 of the rules governing the county meet.
Article 17 sub-section 7.1 states, “Protest grievances and complaints from a match must be registered on the match report sheet before during and immediately after the match and countersign by the opposing team’s captain to be followed by a formal letter within six hours during the preliminary rounds and 24 hours from the quarter, semis and grand finals with a fee of twenty thousand (20,000) Liberian dollars.”
Kollie further emphasized that the protest filed by Grand Bassa did not meet the threshold requirement pursuant to Article 17 sub-section 7.1; as such, even if the matter was to be heard on merit, Grand Bassa would still not prevail.
The committee chairman, however, has given Grand Bassa 24 hours to file an appeal of notification of the decision and pay a non-refundable fee of sixty thousand (60,000) Liberian dollars to the organizers.
