Monrovia — Chaos and open defiance have hit the 2025/2026 National County Sports Meet (NCSM) following a decision by the Lofa County Sports steering committee to withdraw its defending champion basketball team from the competition, a move the players flatly ignored on Monday.
The Lofa Steering Committee issued an official statement on Monday, January 5, citing "careful consideration of circumstances" for the withdrawal.
However, the decision backfired when players and technical staff took to the court at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex, suffering a shock 50-43 defeat to Grand Bassa County.
The team returned on Tuesday and pulled a 63-28 points win over Grand Gedeh.
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The controversy took a visual turn as the Lofa squad appeared on the court wearing orange jerseys, a stark departure from the county's traditional green after the county reportedly withheld the official kits provided by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
A 'Football-Related' Punishment?
The friction stems from a disciplinary ruling that saw Lofa County's football team disqualified for fielding ineligible players.
Sports observers and players alike believe the Lofa steering committee basketball withdrawal is a retaliatory strike against the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS).
In a strongly worded letter to the Lofa County steering committee, the basketball players described the withdrawal as "unjust" and unrelated to their sport.
"The players and technical staff feel that the decision is not serving them justice after all the sacrifices they made," the letter stated. "If we don't participate, you are not just stopping us from defending our trophy, you are taking away the basketball dreams of 15 Liberian kids who want to be scouted."
The players argued that the move sends a damaging message: that their discipline is secondary to the football team's grievances. A successful defense this year would have marked the first back-to-back basketball championship in Lofa's history.
Ministry Distances Itself from "Social Media" Withdrawal
Despite the LCSA's public stance, the Ministry of Youth and Sports says the county has not followed official protocols.
Deputy Minister for Sports, G. Andy Quamie, dismissed the rumors of a withdrawal, noting that the Ministry had received no formal correspondence.
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"Unfortunately, we do not operate the Ministry on social media," Quamie said. The Lofa County steering committee knows exactly what to do or who to write whenever they have issues. The Ministry is not aware that Lofa has withdrawn."
