Hullabaloo Among Youth & Sport Officials
Counselor Wheatonia Y. Dixon-Barnes
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.
Amidst mounting pressure, the Deputy
Minister of Youth and Sport for Operations Peter W. Vuku has defended
his boss on her decision to exclude foreign based players for the
balance five matches Liberia has to play in the combined 2006 African
Nations and World Cup qualifiers.
The Minister of Youth and Sport Counselor
Wheatonia Dixon-Barnes recently announced that foreign-based players
would not be called for the Lone Star. The team has accumulated just
four points from five matches in Group One.
Sport Minister Barnes blamed the decision on lack of funds
and uncertainty over the team's qualification.
The Assistant Minister for Sports Richard Wleh
took exception. He later snubbed the move, saying, "I see this
decision as unilateral. It is a fallacy and should not be condoned by
the public."
Hon. Wleh also said he was not aware and that he was marginalized.
But the Deputy Minister Vuku, then acting
while Minister Barnes was away, reacted to the claims by Assistant
Minister Wleh, labeling them as untrue.
He said Assistant Minister Wleh has become an
embarrassment to the Ministry.
Hon. Vuku, alleged that Assistant Minister Wleh
has for the past time not been putting in time to his job.
"The decision taken by the Minister Cllr. Barnes was a
decision that was reflective of the ideals and aspirations for what we
stand for," stated Hon. Vuku.
He maintained that, "there is no money in the
government's coffers and we must save cost and promote local players
at the same time."
The war of words among officials of the
Youth and Sport Ministry took place in the absence of Minister Barnes
who had been attending an African Women Conference in Libreville,
Gabon. She has already returned to the country from Central Africa.
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