Monrovia—The Liberia Football Association (LFA) award ceremony, held on December 7, 2024, at the Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, has stirred significant public criticism and confusion among fans of Liberian football.
By: Christopher C. Walker
[email protected]/077-789-8224 / 088-672-3075
Questions have emerged regarding the merits of several winners, with some supporters questioning the legitimacy of the awards while others defend the process.
The award committee, chaired by Christopher Hayes Onanuga, has faced backlash over perceived shortcomings in the diversity of award winners.
At a well-attended event, Heaven Eleven midfielder Abdulai Yaya Bility was named the first division Most Valuable Player (MVP), edging out notable contenders including Emmanuel Sieh of Watanga FC, Clement Zubah of Mighty Barrolle, and Ishmael Dumbuya of Bea Mountain FC—all of whom had better scoring records.
While Bility is recognized as a talented player, many argue that his MVP award for the 2023/2024 season was unjustifiable. Critics have described his win as potentially the “biggest daylight robbery” in recent league history, pointing out that his performance did not significantly impact his team, which finished the season in 5th place without a trophy.
Statistical analysis reveals that Yaya Bility scored 13 goals and provided 12 assists in 22 games, totaling 25 goal contributions. In contrast, his competitors had impressive records:
-Clement Zubah (Mighty Barrolle FC): 23 goals, 7 assists, totaling 30 contributions.
-Ishmael Dumbuya (Bea Mountain FC): 21 goals, 6 assists, totaling 27 contributions while finishing as league runners-up.
– Emmanuel Sieh (Watanga FC): In his debut season, he scored 18 goals and assisted 6, totaling 24 contributions, helping his team clinch the championship.
In the best goalkeeper category, Teddy Kollie of Watanga FC was honored for achieving the cleanest sheets, while his defenders, Alexander Curtis and Netus Swen, lost out on the best defender award to Eugene Swen of Paynesville FC, whose team had one of the league’s poorest defensive records.
The awards also saw Emmanuel Sieh named the best young player of the season, while Jonathan Freeman garnered the Second Division MVP award.
In women’s football, Shaita Angels, the champions of the upper women’s league, dominated the awards despite Determine Girls’ championship-winning season. Many fans expressed dissatisfaction over what they perceived as bias favoring a single team, leading to accusations of unfairness in the voting process.
Grace Weah, president of Determine Girls, took to Facebook to voice her frustration, questioning how a championship-winning team with a strong performance could leave the ceremony without any major awards. “These kids don’t deserve what happened to them last night,” she lamented.
In response to the backlash, the LFA issued a statement clarifying that award winners are determined by votes from coaches, team captains, and accredited journalists.
According to the association, this voting process is designed to reflect the opinions of those most invested in the game. They committed to publishing the detailed voting results, which allocate 40% of the votes to coaches and captains, and 20% to journalists.
Nonetheless, the lack of public awareness about the electronic voting process, which featured only two press conferences, potentially contributed to a low turnout among journalists and captains. Some speculate that the time gap between the conclusion of the league and the awards ceremony may have affected voters’ recollections of standout performances.
With the LFA’s recent clarifications, the pressing question remains: who is responsible for the contentious outcome of the awards? Is it the coaches, captains, journalists, or the award committee itself? As the debate continues, it underscores the complexities and challenges of honoring excellence in Liberian football.