Monrovia- The Liberia Football Association national league kick-started Wednesday, October 16 with some thrilling matches across the country. However, the spotlight shone on the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) when FC Fassell secured a 3-0 victory against Bea Mountain.
By Jaheim T. Tumu- [email protected]
Photos and images posted on social media from within the ATS showed an unkempt stadium which looked seemingly neglected with lack of maintenance.
The images showed unsanitary bathrooms, the seating area around the stadium wings were unpainted, marred by dust, birding droppings creating an uncomfortable experience for spectators.
Some fans inside the stadium vented their frustrations on the LFA for the deplorable state of the stadium.
“I think this administration is not paying more attention to the ATS since they moved to the headquarters. Since the first division league ended in April then later the women leagues, there is less attention toward the ATS,” a stadium worker speaking on anonymity
The source emphasized that several off-season football activities have been held at the ATS, including a tournament organized by District #8 Representative Emmanuel Dahn and some school games.
“To be honest, monies were generated for the renting of the stadium and we expected renovation and painting before the start of the season, but it did not happen.”
“Even buying toiletries to get the bathroom clean is tough for us. In the absence of these things, we cannot properly maintain the bathrooms and other parts of the stadium,” our source told FrontPage Africa.
The source emphasized, “The pictures on Facebook have created an unfortunate situation that has a negative impact on the administration.”
When contacted, the media manager, Ben Gologo Garkpah, refuted the claim, stating that people are trying to provide a negative image at the expense of the LFA.
He said the standard of the bathroom under Mustapha Raji administration has been the best compared to previous leadership at the LFA, where the bathroom is untidy and unusable.
“What about a stadium around the field that has not been used all these years and people just went there recently to sit around the field. There are a lot of priorities for the LFA.”
“I see people posting pictures of the bathroom and commode. What happened to the commode? The commode is in good condition and the bathroom is tidy. If it is raining and we are in the rainy season, you do not expect mode,” Garkpah said.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the LFA is about to carry out renovation at the stadium, which will include the replacement of the artificial turf.