“Dear Mr. President:

 Have you really sat down to think about what really brought you to power? You rose to political prominence through football.

 It was your footballing popularity that propelled you to our Executive Mansion in 2017. Without it, nothing would have turned such dubiety into reality. Your sudden flight from the pitch to the presidency can be ascribed to football.

Be grateful to football and its populist rhetoric. But here is my point.

I just watched you cheering a non-footballing president, Macky SALL, for constructing a new 50,000-seater world-class stadium in Diamniadio, Senegal. Your West African counterpart, Macky SALL, built this US$270 million stadium in 18 months and it has Goal-line Technology along with Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

 Mr. President, you promised to build 7 stadiums during the 2017 presidential election and this promise is even captured in your “development plan” dubbed and styled Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).

 You’ve been in power for more than 4 years now, you have not built a single stadium yet; not even a backyard field for Freetown Ball. This is another “promise betrayed” on your part. Why are you so ungrateful to football like this?

 For instance, we have thousands of young football talents in Liberia. To even sponsor one or two of them for trial matches in Europe, Asia, or America is too big of a challenge for you. As for building a football academy in Liberia, this seems more of a dead dream under your watch. Mr. President, why are you so ungrateful to football?

 Under your watch, FIFA and CAF banned SKD Sports Complex twice because SKD could not meet minimum standards. In September 2020, CAF also banned our under-17 football team from participating in international competitions. LFA had to borrow foreign stadiums in order for our national team to play home matches. All of these happened under your watch as a footballing president.

 Under ex-President EJS, national football had a budget of US$1,013,780. You came to power and cut this amount down to US$100,000. In actuality, you cut US$913,780 and increased your budget. Between Fiscal Year 2018/2019 and Fiscal Year 2020/2021, you alone have received US$8,611,728 while your wife (First Lady Clar Weah) has received US$3,050,000.

 Both of you, as a footballing couple, have received a combined total of US$11,661,728 since 2018. But to even invest US$1 million in football is something very difficult for you to do. Mr. President, where are your “7 stadiums” and why are you so ungrateful to football?

STOP cheering and celebrating Macky SALL. This is as shameful on your part as a career footballer who has done nothing concrete in this area for your country. Your course of action to cheer Sall is not just embarrassing but it brings your entire footballing legacy into question. When will Macky Sall cheer you too for building even a mini stadium in Liberia?

 As an activist, I just thought to remind you about your promise to build 7 new stadia or stadiums. Liberians have not forgotten yet. Just so you know. If a footballing president cannot improve football, which sector can he improve then? This really baffles me. It has to be an enigma.

 But since French is your second favorite language because you played for Africa Sports (Ivory Coast, 1987), Tonnerre Yaoundé (Cameroon, 1987-1988), Monaco (France, 1988-1992), Paris Saint-Germain (France, 1992-1995), and Marseille (France, 2000-2001), let me end this short letter in French: “Pourquoi es-tu si ingrat envers le football comme ça?” which means in English “Why are you so ungrateful to football like this?”

 Footballingly yours as I remain concerned about your unfulfilled promise to build 7 stadiums in Liberia.

Signed: Martin K. N. Kollie

Exiled Liberian activist and Chief Convener

Voices from Exile”