Monrovia – The leadership of the Sports Writers Association (SWAL) has condemned the physical attack and assault on its President, Roland Mulbah, by Liberia national team’s defender Teah Dennis and team trainer George Gebro.
Minutes after Liberia’s 1-0 win over Chad on Wednesday, October 9, in the 2021 Afcon preliminary round, Dennis was seen in an aggressive, physical altercation with Mr. Mulbah.
According to a release from SWAL, Teah and Gebro accused the SWAL president of writing stories against their interests.
With 89 minutes on the clock Teah Dennis threatened to fight the SWAL President after the match when he (Teah) spotted him behind the Chadians goalpost where he (Teah) had gone to participate in a corner kick during the match.
The former national team’s captain ran to Roland Mulbah at the sound of the final whistle and attempted hitting him, but was prevented by other journalists, but he found a way somehow to use his fingers to hit the face of Mulbah.
While reporters tried to block Teah from reaching Roland Mulbah further, former national team defender now physical trainer of Lone Star George Gebro, came from the back to acquire what had happened along with other technical staff members and in the process, Gebro hit Mulbah on the head before heading for the team’s dressing room.
A release from SWAL considered both Dennis and Gebro’s actions as unprofessional, rowdy, unethical and counterproductive to the promotion and development of football in the country.
“The attack and assault on the SWAL president in the full glare of several members of the Sports Writers Association are not only against the President, but an attack on the Sporting Press,” SWAL said in a statement.
“SWAL is therefore calling on the Liberia Football Association and the Youth and Sports Ministry to take serious action in reprimanding Teah and Gebro as their actions are anti-sportsmanship and a bad sign for the National team of Liberia.
SWAL wants an immediate action taken against the two members of Lone Star for their unprofessional actions against its President.
“The timely action of the LFA and the Youth and Sports Ministry will serve as a caveat for other footballers and technical staffers of football to behave ethically and professionally whenever they are given the opportunity to form a part of the national football team.”
“SWAL is, meanwhile calling on its members to remain calm as the Association engages relevant authorities in seeking a redress to the madness of player Teah Dennis and trainer George Gebro, two athletes that had been promoted by the Liberian Sporting Press,” a release from SWAL explained.
A meeting of all sport writers will take place on Monday, October 14, at the Press Union of Liberia headquarters at 2 p.m.
But in a Whatsapp chat with FrontPageAfrica’s Sport Desk, Teah said he has been provoked many times by Mullah and on that day he had only gone to caution him that his (Mulbah’s) negative stances against him were not good.
Dennis disclosed that Roland has on many times inboxed him telling him that he’s unfit to be on the national team.
To prove his case, Teah forwarded a massage to our Sports Desk. The WhatsApp message from Teah was a screenshot of Facebook inbox message between him and Mulbah. In the message, the SWAL President tells Dennis that he will be retired from the national team by Eugene Swen and Sampson Dweh something Teah said was unprofessional from the SWAL boss.
“Just ask Danesius [Mateh], I complained about Roland coming at me directly many times.
“I don’t have problem with people criticizing me most especially a journalist. It is his work but coming at me personally is wrong. During the start of the game, he told me ‘What this fecee still doing on our team?’ I tried not to give him attention but he repeated it again during the half time,” Dennis narrated.
The Lone Star’s player also told the State Broadcaster’s Sports Desk that at no time did he attack or assault Mulbah.
According to him, on many occasions Mulbah had used unpleasant words on him, which have provoked him, but he has never attacked or assaulted him.
Responding to SWAL’s press statement, he said “I went over to the other end of the field after the game with Chad to know from Roland Mulbah as to why he’s always using provocation on me. Roland has called me names on many occasions and always questioned my inclusion on the national team. I don’t remember doing something wrong to him. I did not attack or assault him. There were other journalists on the scene and saw my approach to Roland. I was heading to the dressing room and it was along the same way that he was. Why should I attack Roland Mulbah?”