LFA Protests Rochell’s Appointment to FIFA

        Rochell Woodson to FIFA committee for women’s football and World Cup
 

by Danesius Marteh,
danesius.marteh@frontpageafricaonline.com   

The Liberia Football Association (LFA) has protested the appointment of Rochell Woodson to FIFA committee for women’s football and World Cup.

This committee is tasked with organizing the women’s World Cup in compliance with the provisions of the regulations applicable to this competition, the list of requirements and the organizing association agreement and dealing with general issues relating to women’s football.

LFA President Musa Bility informed FIFA development officer for West Africa Sampon Kablan that Rochell was expelled from all football related activities [in November 2011] by its executive committee.

“With her name being placed on the FIFA committee listing, which our executive committee is not aware of, we would like to know by what means was she selected or by whom was she recommended.

“We are of the conviction that the LFA should play a role in the recommendation process. We previously discussed and forwarded to you a name which was rejected by you based on the fact that she was a member of our executive committee.

“We therefore request that FIFA, through your good office, remove her name from the committee list and ban her from all football activities in accordance with LFA statutes which is in confirmative with FIFA statutes,” the letter pointed out on January 17.

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke had informed Rochell of her preferment by Joseph Sepp Blatter in a letter dated December 30, 2011.

Rochell is one of four Africans on the 20-man committee chaired and co-chaired by FIFA executive committee members Worawi Makudi of Thailand and Theo Zwanziger of Germany respectively.

Members to the committee are Sahar El Hawary of Egypt, Lu Tracy of China, Lone Smidt Nielsen of Denmark, Kelly Simmons of England, Susane Erlandsson of Sweden, Lydia Nsekera of Burundi, Alexandra Benado of Chile and Andrew Bickerton of British Virgin Islands.

Others are Yolanda Camacho Kortman of Costa Rica, Norway's Karen Espelund, Fatou Gaye of Senegal, Jordan's Rana Husseini, Susan Shalabi-Molano of Palestine, Japan's Michiko Doho and Linda Wonuhali of Papua New Guinea while Steffi Jones of Germany and Walter Sieber of Canada serve as special advisors respectively.

So does the LFA believe that Rochell was fraudulently recommended to FIFA?

“Yes, because the LFA is not aware. Secondly, she can’t be a nominee because she is expelled [from all football related activities] pending congress. This place is run by statutes, rules and regulations.

“So there are penalties that will go along with such a violation because it has brought, more or less, problems because FIFA being an international body for all of us, we should not be asking them such a question.

“So, it is embarrassing. Whosoever is involved will face some sort of action but that is left to the EC members [Executive Committee of the LFA]."

"What I can say is that we have launched an internal and external investigation into how an expelled EC member was nominated to FIFA,” said LFA Communications Director Henry Flomo.

But the questions are who may have recommended Rochell? Was she recommended internally or externally? And will Liberia lose the position if Rochell is subsequently removed?

Stay tuned!