By: Naomi Tapia
Basketball enthusiasts are concerned over the issue of Liberia participating in the world governing body of basketball, known as Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) annual competition organized for champions of local Federations in various countries due to the indefinite sanction placed on the country for what they termed as ‘defiance’.
It can be recalled, the Federation of International Basketball Association Africa’s branch in 2020 of March mandated the Liberia Basketball Association to return to the status quo and reconvene the November 2019 Elective Congress that witnessed embattled President Rufus Anderson being disqualified on grounds that he allegedly “withdrew along with his other corps of officers’ registration fees, a criteria set in the Liberia Basketball Association Constitution for contesting any elective position in the Country.
After months of thorough investigation into the matter, FIBA Africa declared the process fraudulent, hence, rendering the entire process null and void and mandated the Liberia Basketball Association to reinstate the embattled President Rufus Anderson, something that has since been opposed by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Zeogar Wilson and LNOC President, Philipbert Brown who have confirmed the legitimacy of the election of Abraham Samukai as Anderson successor.
Reacting to the ban due to defiance on the part of Liberia to reconvene the Elective Congress, The President of the Liberia National Olympic Committee in Liberia, Philipbert Brown vowed to resist the instruction from FIBA Africa to have the current government recognized-President removed and replaced with Rufus Anderson whom the controversially elected government recognized.
President Abraham Samukai fought relentlessly for years before the election in 2019.
The resentful statements from both the Minister of Youth and Sports Zeogar Wilson and the LNOC President Philipbert Brown have left thousands fans of the sport in doubt over the country’s fate of ever participating in the continental basketball competition.
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