By Danesius Marteh, archie2024@gmail.com
Bukonjadeh Group of Companies have terminated a L$300,000 sponsorship agreement with Global Pharma a day after it was reported that the players played through the 2004/2025 season without pay. Bukonjadeh signed a seasonal deal with Global on August 21, 2024 with an option to extend.
In a letter to Global President Sylvanus K. Morris on 23 May, Bukon chief executive officer Elton Johns regretted the situation to cancel the deal after a board meeting, which passed on several resolutions.
“It was a nice experience with the club. We wish you luck and hope that you will continue giving your best by impacting people’s lives through sport for many years to come.
“If you have any questions or require further clarifications, please feel free to contact us at the address above. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors,” said Johns.
Global have been engulfed in financial challenges, which contributed largely to players and technical staff being unpaid for months.
Several players, who spoke to this writer, said they were only paid 75-percent of their salary at the start of the season in October 2024 and have not been paid since the season ended in April.
Sylvanus, who refuted players’ accounts, confirmed the club owed the players but couldn’t say for how many months.
He was visibly annoyed by news of the club’s indebtedness to the
players in Talk Liberian Football chat room on 22 May and threatened legal actions.
But news of Bukon’s termination was the last straw that broke the camel’s back because Sylvanus was only informed from the very same chat room where the players’ indebtedness became a main talking point.
And so Sylvanus unsuccessfully tried to clarity two things: that a deal that ended on 30 April couldn’t be terminated and that the ‘cancellation’ wasn’t due to the club’s indebtedness to the players since the sponsor didn’t say so.
As was directed by Elton, Sylvanus texted to set the records straight on “termination versus cancelation or non-renewal”.
“Good evening CEO, I acknowledged receipt of your communication to us and I appreciate the help you rendered our team during the just ended season.
“Your contribution to our team played a major role in ensuring that we concluded the season positively. We remain grateful.
“However, I must point out that the term ‘termination’ doesn’t apply to this situation because the contract we signed was for a season and the season ended since April.
“It would have been best were you to say that you have decided not to renew our contract.
“I am pointing this out because Wilmot Smith, who claims to be one of your board members, for political reasons, have shared this information with coupe of journalists and they are reporting that you terminated for negative reasons.
“You can choose to clarify or not. Again, thanks for your assistance to us and humanity,” Sylvanus wrote to Elton on 23, May.
Elton didn’t reply but Wilmot shared a Facebook post and a photo of Elton and him to confirm his membership.
“It was an honor attending [the] sports writers annual honoring program on tonight with a senior board member of the five-man loan company.
“Lord we are so grateful for this golden opportunity given [to us] as a premier loan company,” Wilmot wrote.
My analysis: I spoke to a law professor, who advises and guides me in my journalistic sojourn, on Sylvanus’ confusion of the words.
The contract between Global and Bukon is/was a seasonal contract with an option to extend or discontinue.
According to Sylvanus, the contract ended on 30 April but Global (as the main beneficiary) didn’t inquire about renewal as was mentioned in a story written by the club in FrontPageAfrica.
So the sponsorship was deemed to be in effect under the spirit and principles of contracts and Bukon would have been obligated to pay L$300,000 once the 2025/2026 season begins with Global participating.
So Bukon’s decision to terminate the contract wasn’t legally wrong. They could’ve also said that the contract won’t be renewed. They had two options and they chose the first.
The bad news is the contract has ended whether it was “canceled, not renewed or terminated”.
