Don’t sell Liberty Pros - Wahid appeals to board

A former player of Liberty Professionals, Wahid Mohammed, has made a passionate plea with the current board of the club not to sell it as any attempt to change its owners will kill the dream and legacy of the late founder, Alhaji Sly Tetteh.

According to Mohammed, who once captained Liberty, he was in no doubt that the club were suffering financially from the death six years ago of Sly Tetteh, but he maintains that any plan to get new owners will erode all the plans the late founder had for his club. He thus charged the current board to seek financing from sponsorship to rebuild the club.

Mohammed, who played for the ‘Scientific Soccer Lads’ from 1999 to 2007, told the Graphic Sports that his appeal stemmed from his fear that that any such attempt to sell the club could end the youth development plan the late Sly Tetteh had for Liberty.

“Alhaji Sly Tetteh had plans to develop a top-notch soccer academy for West Africa, as well as build an enviable brand for Liberty Professionals as a club. There is a vast of piece of land at Dodowa earmarked for a stadium and a club house. Unfortunately, all that has come to a standstill following his death, and I fear for the worse should new owners take over,” said the former defender, as he paid tribute to the man who unearthed some of Ghana’s finest stars, including Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, John Paintsil, among others.

“I’m pleading because I have reliable information that there have been attempts to sell the club because of the financial challenges. I think the directors must find a way around fixing the problem instead of selling the club off. That will be the a big nail in Alhaji’s coffin,” said Mohammed, who is retired and now a trained coach.

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He admitted that Liberty may never get back to their promising form because the visionary founder may not have shared fully his vision and plans for the club with his board, and as a result the current directors may not be able to carry through those plans.

“Alhaji was a genius, he had significant contacts abroad and provided a bright future for young players and opportunities abroad. Now, all that is not there because the current board does not have the same contacts and appeal, so they may not be able to offer the same opportunities that Liberty provided under Sly Tetteh’s time.

“He has been gone for six years, but we are still feeling his absence and no doubt his death has been a big blow to Ghana football and youth development.”