FrontPageAfrica (Monrovia)

Liberia: Out of Job? Did Turkish Club Goztepe Terminate Liberia International Theo Weeks Lewis' Contract

FrontPageAfrica understands that Goztepe SK have terminated the services of midfielder Theo Weeks Lewis in Turkey. But our reporter has been unable to establish why Goztepe, who signed a two and a year deal with Weeks on January 11, 2012, prematurely ended the contract. Weeks' deal should have ended on May 31, 2014, according to his bio data on the Turkish Football Federation's website.

The Liberia international played 22 matches (including 19 as a starter) totaling 1,680 minutes for Goztepe during the 2012/2013 season.

They finished third from bottom on the 18-team table with 37 points from 34 matches and were relegated to the second league (second division) along with Kartalspor and Ankaragucu.

Weeks, born on 19 January 1990, played his last game against Tavsanli Linyitspor in a 0-1 defeat on May 12 on the final day of the season.

Goztepe, which have lived through financial problems and difficulties since 2002, may have taken the decision to reduce its wage bill. Due to their inability to reduce their outstanding debt, Goztepe have been banned from signing new players, which resulted in a free-fall with the team being relegated four times in the last five seasons.

Weeks was the first player to arrive in Monrovia ahead of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. He played the full 90 minutes in the 0-1 defeat to Uganda on June 8 in Kampala and 2-0 defeat to Senegal at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) sports complex in Paynesville on June 16.

Weeks was handed his debut under then German coach Antoine Hey, whose father took him to Europe under controversial circumstances, to sign a deal with Ankaraspor in Turkey.

And it took a divine intervention for Watanga FC senior vice president Andy Quamie, who had initially complained then LFA secretary-general George Williams to Fifa for issuing the international transfer certificate without the club's knowledge, to withdraw the case. Watanga are yet to receive their fair share of Weeks' first contract.

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