Monrovia— The Liberia Basketball Association has been threatened with court action for unsettled debts owed  Kadi’s Bar and Restaurant for services rendered during the just-ended Federation of International Basketball Associations  (FIBA)Zone-3 Women’s Basketball Africa League qualifiers.

By: Christopher C Walker christopherc.walker@frontpageafriaconline.com 

Kadi’s Bar and Restaurant, a Liberian owned business, was hired by the LBA to cater for the teams and guests that participated in the FIBA zone Three Women’s qualifiers.

The FIBA Zone-3 Women’s Basketball Africa League was held at the SKD Gymnasium in Paynesville City from November 5-10, with seven clubs from Ivory Coast, Benin, Nigeria and hosts Liberia.

During the tournament, Kadi’s Bar and Restaurant was contacted to provide feeding for over one hundred persons, which included the seven clubs’ players, officials, match officials and other international guests two times daily for five days.

According to the agreement of the restaurant, they were asked to pre-pay the cost of the food, which the management did, but getting a return of their money has been difficult.

Speaking to FrontPage Africa, the management of Kadi’s expressed their disappointment in the LBA for the delay in paying their money.

The management asserted that they had to dig deep in their savings to foot the bill of the agreement but they are yet to get their money back.

The Liberian owned business said since the end of the tournament on November 10th they have yet to get any news about their money from the president and officials of the LBA, who have refused to respond to calls and getting officials at the office of the LBA has been difficult.

Kadi’s bar and restaurant claimed that the LBA owes them in the tune of $11,000USD (Eleven thousand United States dollars) but after the first two days, the LBA paid three thousand, but is yet to complete their payment, something that has not gone down well with the business.

Kadi’s has, meanwhile, threatened to take legal action against the Basketball Association so that they can get their money.

When reached the President of the Liberia Basketball Association, Abraham Samukai, admitted that the LBA is truly indebted to Kadi’s.

He told FrontPage Africa that they are trying their best to meet up with their responsibility because they can’t run away from it.

“It was a tournament we hosted just to boost the image of the country and we did not get money from it or FIBA, so when they called me to ask about their money I told them we are expecting money from two of our sponsors. As soon as they give us money we will settle our debt, this is not a liability that we will run away from,” Samukai said.

He disclosed that it’s not the federation of international Basketball Associations (FIBA) that owns Kadi’s Bar and Restaurant but rather the Liberia Basketball Association that made arrangements to feed the players and guests of the international tournament.

“Let me make this clear this debt is not for FIBA or the government of Liberia, people feel FIBA and the Government give us money but they didn’t give us money to run the tournament,”

“We wrote some companies in the country to help us with sponsorship they agreed it was how we were able to run this tournament but as I speak we are still convincing them to complete their payment so we can live up to our promises with these businesses.

“I can assure you that once we receive money from our sponsors this will be settled, we did not host this tournament to generate money but to get the exposure, which was good for us and our teams, the only disappointing thing is our teams didn’t do well in the tournament,” the LBA president added.

Meanwhile, the LBA allotted in the national budget $1200.00 USD, an amount that cannot be used to run the generator at the basketball gymnasium for a week.

Samukai said they decided to host the international tournament to regain the country’s image on the international scene of basketball because of the long absence from international basketball.

“Government only sponsors national teams and not these kinds of tournaments like when our under 18 male and female teams participated in the tournament in Ivory Coast it was the government that supported that trip, “he said.

Also, FrontPage Africa has been told the LBA is indebted to hotels that hosted the teams and guests and businesses are planning to take the LBA to court for them to pay their debts.

Ivorian Champions Friends Basketball Club won the FIBA Africa Zone-3 Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) 2024 edition.

They beat Mountain of Fire and Miracle (MFM) in the grand finale.

Monrovia – The Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) has condemned Mr. Jake Kabollie and his Sports Management Company for unauthorized representation of Liberia at the just ended   African Basketball festival held in Accra, Ghana.

By Macaulay Sombai, Sombai.macaulaysombai@frontpageafricaonline.com-0777217428

The team came third with a record of three wins and a defeat. A release from the LBA said without their consent, they were informed that a team was accepted to represent Liberia in the just ended African Basketball festival.

According to the Basketball Association, the team was not formally endorsed by either the LBA or the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which is unacceptable.

The LBA alongside the Ministry of Youth and Sports have the authority and responsibility of the National Basketball team and as such is deeply concern about a team misrepresenting Liberia in this capacity,”

“Upon further investigation, we discovered that Mr. Kabakollie conducted the registration of this team and didn’t have any legal authority, nor any official capacity within the LBA or the Ministry of Youth and Sports, to authorize or register a team on behalf of the Republic of Liberia.” The LBA release added. 

The LBA further said Mr. Kabakollie’s actions in registering a team to represent Liberia without being unauthorized is a violation of the protocols that govern national basketball teams. 

The association stressed that such an act undermines the governance of basketball.

Mr. Kabakollie’s actions constitute a breach of trust and present potential legal misstep. Meanwhile, the LBA said it is prepared to pursue all necessary legal actions to prevent unauthorized parties from misrepresenting the LBA on an international stage.

Monrovia – The Secretary General of the Liberia Basketball Association (LBA), Calvin Diggs, has confirmed that the association’s newly crowned female division champions, Commissioners, and runner-up, Invincible Eleven (IE), will represent Liberia in the African Women’s Basketball League (AWBL).

By A Macaulay Sombai, Sombai.macaulaysombai@frontpageafricaonline.com-0777217428

In an exclusive interview with *FrontPage Africa*, Diggs revealed that the tournament is set to commence on October 29, 2024, at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex Gymnasium in Paynesville City and will run until November 3, 2024.

“We are very excited about hosting our first international tournament after four years of suspension from FIBA competitions,” Diggs stated. “We are proud to show Zone Three that Liberia is back on the international basketball stage. Two teams, made up of the champions and runner-up, from each of the eight Zone Three member countries—Nigeria, Benin, Ivory Coast, and Ghana—will participate in the league.”

Diggs also highlighted the participation of the LBA’s newly crowned first-division champions, Mighty Barrolle, who are currently in Libya representing Liberia in the qualifying round of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He described the return of LBA teams to FIBA competitions as a timely and significant development for the sport in Liberia.

According to Diggs, the involvement of Mighty Barrolle in the BAL will enhance the skills of male athletes competing in Libya, while the female athletes set to participate in the AWBL in Liberia will also benefit from this exposure to high-level competition.

He urged Mighty Barrolle’s players not to focus solely on qualifying for the next stage of the Basketball Africa League in Libya but to concentrate on learning from their opponents to improve their overall skills.

Similarly, he encouraged the athletes from the two female teams representing Liberia in the AWBL not to be overly concerned about winning the league but to focus on honing their skills by learning from their competitors.

The participation of these teams marks a significant milestone for Liberia’s re-entry into international basketball, underscoring the LBA’s commitment to developing the sport both locally and internationally.

Monrovia – The Chairman for National and Global Partnerships at the Liberia Basketball Association (LBA), Mr. Boniface Satu, has called on the Ministry of Youth and Sports to convene a national dialogue with sporting institutions to boost sports development in Liberia.

By Macaulay Sombai, Sombai.macaulaysombai@frontpageafricaonline.com-0777217428

As Chairman for National and Global Partnerships, Mr. Satu is responsible for establishing national basketball development programs for young people passionate about the sport, both within the association and across Liberia.

Mr. Satu underscored the importance of sports as more than just games, emphasizing its role as a unifier and a job creator. He urged the Ministry of Youth and Sports to organize a broad dialogue involving all sporting bodies to address Liberia’s declining performance in sports, particularly basketball and football.

“Liberia was once a leader in the regional sporting arena, but today, we have been surpassed by our neighboring countries. If the Ministry of Youth and Sports holds a national dialogue with sporting institutions, Liberia can regain its standing, not just regionally but also globally, in sports development,” Mr. Satu said.

He further urged the government to prioritize sports development, stressing that sports should not be viewed merely as a recreational activity but as a sector with vast economic and social potential. By investing in sports, the government could help unify communities and promote youth skill development.

Additionally, Mr. Satu highlighted his efforts to seek partnerships with international organizations to strengthen the LBA and improve the skills of young basketball enthusiasts.

“I am also tasked with establishing Liberia’s first National Hall of Fame for the LBA, to honor players who have made significant contributions to the sport. We are in the process of forming a committee, comprising both local members and partners from the diaspora, to bring this vision to life,” he added.

Monrovia — Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) first division defending champions, Mighty Barrolle have retained their championship for another year.

The Rollers over the weekend secured a comfortable 59 to 46 points victory over Cestos Mogars in the third match of the LBA best out of five final at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex gymnasium in Paynesville City, Montserrado County.

Prior to Sunday’s game, Barrolle won their first two games, knowing that another win was crucial to retain their title for the third time in a row.

Cestos Mogars on the other hand had in mind that a win for them in game three could push the final to the last day and put in their best to collect a win, but their best was never good enough to beat the champions.

Following his team victory, Barrolle head Coach, Assad Fedel described his side’s third successive win against Cestos Mogars in their best out of five final as very fascinating.

Coach Fedel paid tribute to his players for winning the LBA first division championship for the third time running.

He attributed his team Success to the strategic ball control and finishing touches his players displayed from the start of the league up to the final.

“Today marks another historic day not only for me as your head coach but also for you my athletes, our officials and those of our fans that stood by us from the start of the LBA 2024 national league until today. We have been crowned champions of the LBA first division for the third straight season and I hope we will remain together for the common growth of our athletes and Barrolle as a basketball club, Fedel said.”

For his part, Cestos Mogars head Coach Zayzay G. Gizzie blamed his defeat on the player’s failure to follow instructions

“I put the blame on my players for our third straight loss to Barrolle because they filed to carry on the ball distribution that I told them to carry on among themselves in each half of our three games played. This is exactly what caused our failure to put into better use the majority of our chances, he stated.’’

In the female division, Commissioners  won two out of their best five games played in their title race against Invincible Eleven (IE).

Commissioners will be crowd champions if they win their next game against IE while IE are forced to win their next game against Commissioners if they are to win the championship.

 In the second division battle, Spartacus won two out of three games played between them and Highway King in the LBA second division title race.

Spartacus will need their third game to lift the trophy, while Highway Kings need a win to keep their dream of winning the title alive.

Monrovia-The president of the Liberia Basketball Association, Abraham Samukai, has appointed former Invincible Eleven Basketball team player Boniface Satu as chairman of National and Global Partnership for the Liberia Basketball Association.

By: Christopher C Walker christopherc.walker@frontpageafriaconline.com

Satu, who also served as head of the National Road Funds during former President George Weah’s administration, was appointed on Tuesday, August 28, 2024.

The LBA president said his appointment takes immediate effect, adding that, “he has been charged with the responsibility of basketball development internationally and nationally and to negotiate with partners of the association”.

He has also been charged with the formulation of programs leading to the establishment of the LBA hall of Fame.

The LBA president then pleaded with Satu to accept the challenges as they move forward in rebranding the game in the country.

Following the appointment, Satu posted on Facebook, accepting the position and thanked the LBA president for the confidence reposed in him.

“Mr. Abraham Samukai President of the Liberia Basketball Association, I’m pleased to accept the position of Chairman of National and Global Partnership for the Liberia Basketball Associations, Republic of Liberia, I am honored.

“Thank you for your confidence in my abilities and for offering me this opportunity. I’m excited to take on the new challenges that this role will bring responsible for basketball development and establishing the Hall of Fame for recognition of meritorious home and diaspora basketball players in Liberia.”

“I look forward to starting work soon and setting up a broad base Committee comprise of Diaspora and home base Liberians to move this noble game in a new direction,” he said.

According to Satu, he has already started conversations with friends and supporters of Liberia Basketball, LIBFEST, Great Ball Players , media institutions to form part of his  committee, which she said will cut across our country.

He further thanked Ivah Turkpa, who volunteered and provided the first draft of a basketball development plan to start his responsibility.

“We want to invite other Liberians who are interested in forming part of this committee for the development and advancement of basketball in Liberia.

“This will be an opportunity to encourage our young Liberian children in the diaspora to form part and represent the country in international tournaments leveraging our Liberian base athletes for our National Basketball Team,” he said.

Monrovia – The newly appointed General Secretary of the Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) Calvin Diggs, has described the recent lifting of the recent preliminary injunction on the association as an indication that there would soon be a revolution in Liberia basketball development.

By: Thomas Kojo Roulhac/ 0778855849

Me.Diggs made this assertion when several former and current basketball players paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at his office in Monrovia.

According to the LBA General Secretary, “my position is consistent that beyond football, Liberia has talents and competences in several other sports and our ascendancy in basketball is no longer stoppable.

“I can tell confidently that basketball is on the rise again in Liberia. The amount of talent we have in the country, leaves us no choice but to excell. Liberia basketball will always be great,” he enthused.

He believes that under their watch, basketball will have a revolution that will transcend the national team.

“We hope to have effective grassroots penetration of basketball youngsters to start a project that would have a basketball program in at least all the counties” he said.

Speaking further, he lamented the country could make improvement in their basketball if adequate funds are provided.

” As an active sports association, basketball does not have a big budget but survives with the little support it gets from the government and its sponsors, he said.

” I want people to understand that you can only reap what you sow; we must begin to invest in the long-term,” he concluded.

Monrovia – The Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) grand finals will kick off on Friday, September 16, at the Basketball GYM in Paynesville in all categories of the league ranging from 3rd to 1st divisions in the male category and women’s division of the LBA national league.

In the male first division, Bushrod Bulls will take on defending champions, Mighty Barrolle while Barnesville Dragons and Visioneers lock horns in the male 2nd division category of the league.

Fast-rising Bushrod Bulls made history by reaching its first final since their promotion to the First Division in 2017.

While champions Mighty Barrolle is on the verge of title defense which they won last season.

Both teams won 2-0 in a best-of-three series. Bushrod Bulls defeated NPA Pythons for a record five times in a season and have been considered title favorites. Mighty Barrolle did the same with Invincible Eleven by defeating them in all their meetings this season.

Tongues are already wagging on who’s the title favorite is. Bushrod Bulls though a favourite because of their dominance over Barrolle this season but are still considered the underdogs.

In the 3rd division, Vision Shooters and Spartacus will meet each other in the best of five series like any other finals of the league.

While Invincible Eleven female squad and commissioners will meet in the women’s final.

The finals according to LBA, will run from 16th day of September to October 2, 2022.

Invincible Eleven female team will be looking to dethrone defending Champions Commissioners. Both teams defeated their opponents 2-0 in a best-of-three series. IE girls won over Vision Angels while Commissioners had an easier outing over Desert Ladies.

Commissioners are set to regain their championship.

It has been an exciting season so far with the break and twist. As the season gets closer to its end, all basketball lovers will be expecting is nothing but explosions.

Monrovia – The Civil Law Court has issued a writ of preliminary injunction on the Liberia Basketball Association (LBA).

It followed a petition filed on April 1 by the aggrieved party, which is represented by Calvin Diggs of Flames, Malcolm Wleemongar Joseph of Cestos Mogars and Ali Sillah of D-Rockas Basketball Clubs against the LBA represented by President Rufus Anderson and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, including its Minister, Deputy and Assistant Ministers.

The aggrieved party filed a six-count motion, which was temporarily granted by Judge Peter Gbeneweleh. Petitioners say the LBA (respondent) secretly held a congress and elections on October 24, 2015 after the court lifted its injunction on October 22, 2015 without informing the petitioners in keeping with the by-laws and constitution of the LBA.

Petitioners say the elections that brought second respondent to power were illegal, held under secrecy and against the constitution because it didn’t include their as major stakeholders. Petitioners are arguing that based on the illegality of the elections, the Liberia National Olympic Committee (LNOC) has refused to recognize and do business with the LBA.

The petitioners also want the national league halted because moneys collected from its will be unaccounted for. Anderson was elected unopposed last October following a yearlong internal crisis marked by strike actions, assault and an injunction.

Others elected unopposed were Fred Ted, vice President for administration; Bruce Quaye, vice President for operations; Abiodun Thomas, treasurer; Jarius J. Harris, financial secretary and Isaac Smith, chaplain at the Crown Hotel in Paynesville. The aggrieved party first petitioned the court to issue an injunction on the congress on August 6, 2015.

It was issued by Judge Yusuf Kaba on the LBA as first respondent; sports ministry as second respondent; Yanqueh Borsay and his adhoc elections commission as third respondent and Anderson as fourth respondent. The aggrieved stakeholders had petitioned the court in a renewed twist of a leadership crisis that has engulfed the LBA since November 2014.

Joseph, who returned from attending the 2015 convention of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) in Newcastle, Delaware on October 17, 2015, was seen in the vicinity of congress but didn’t enter hall. For months now, basketballing activities have been grounded due to a power struggle among key stakeholders with charges of accusations and counter-accusations.

The congress to elect a new leadership should have taken place last November but was called-off as Liberia was engulfed in an Ebola crisis. The sports ministry has been trying to find a resolution to the impasse and even sought the intervention of Fiba Afrique. But Joseph, who is a Liberia National Olympic Committee (LNOC) vice President for technical affairs and LFA elections committee chairman, said the elections will be challenged in court.

“That is not an election. As I speak to you right now, our lawyers are in court. And definitely that leadership is going to be challenged seriously because that was a bogus process. You can go to the Liberia National Olympic Committee, parent body of sports in this country [and check], all elections of sporting associations they are represented. They weren’t there if you were there.

“You know they weren’t. The Ministry of Youth and Sports wasn’t present. So it was just a gimmick. I will just describe it as a gangster activity. A group of desperate guys just organized themselves and sneaked and went to one little hotel in Paynesville and said they have what they called elections,” Joseph added.

But Joseph refused to accept a point made by Trojan Kiazolu of Fabric Radio (FC 101.1) on October 26, 2015 that the “group of desperate guys” constituted the majority bloc which acted on a court order to proceed with the elections.

“Law is not democracy. I am challenging you to the point of majority. Even if they had majority, law is not democracy. I, alone, can stall that process because I have a right to be there. So I should be there,” said Joseph, who serves as executive director of the Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP).