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POLITICS KILLS THE BEAUTIFUL GAME — How A $5 Million Dream To Rescue Lone Star Collapsed Into Insults, “Mentally Deranged” Slur And Shock Resignation Of Ruling Party Chairman Dr. J. Luther Tarpeh
BY: Rufus Divine Brooks Jr.
MONROVIA, Liberia – Liberian football has been thrown into fresh turmoil after Rev. Dr. J. Luther Tarpeh, the Chairman of the ruling Unity Party and Chairman of the Board of the National Port Authority, abruptly resigned as Chairman of the Lone Star Mobilization and Fundraising Committee, citing relentless personal attacks, insults and abuse.
Tarpeh’s resignation letter, dated October 24, 2026 and addressed to Liberia Football Association President Mustapha Raji, said his decision took immediate effect, ending an eight-month tenure that began with national hope and ended in a full-blown political firestorm.
But his resignation is not just about one man quitting.
It exposes a deeper, uncomfortable question haunting Liberian football; Can a country whose politics is deeply divided trust an active partisan leader to raise money for a team that belongs to everyone?
On February 5, 2026, the LFA, with the mandate of its Executive Committee, announced with fanfare that it had reconstituted the Lone Star Mobilization Committee and chosen Tarpeh to chair it.
The LFA’s official letter to Tarpeh stated: _“Your extensive experience in mobilizing resources and your dedication to the development of football make you an ideal choice to lead this important initiative.
The committee was given a clear, almost sacred mandate: Raise $4 to $5 million to fund Liberia’s long-awaited return to the Africa Cup of Nations — a tournament the country has not graced since 2002 — and to solve chronic problems of unpaid hotel bills, poor player welfare, and lack of logistics for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
At his unveiling, Tarpeh struck a unifying tone:
“Football remains the one factor that can unify every Liberian across political, social and ethnic lines. Our mission is to reach every segment of society.”
He toured with the team, including a trip to Casablanca for a friendly against Libya, where he was filmed consoling players who complained about poor welfare.
He took their plight to the Legislature and the Executive Mansion.
But from day one, questions lingered, How would a man who is Chairman of the ruling Unity Party convince opposition CDC businessmen, independents, and diaspora Liberians — many still bruised from the 2023 elections — to open their wallets?
Liberia had just suffered a painful 1-0 home defeat to Mali at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, following a 3-1 loss to Rwanda in Kigali.
Two straight losses in Group K. The dream of AFCON 2027 was slipping.
Fans were disappointed but they wore Red, White and Blue — not party T-shirts.
Instead of a healing message, Tarpeh took to Facebook with a two-part post that would end his tenure.
In the first part, he thanked Liberians for the “amazing turnout” at the SKD and said “Rome was not built in one day.
In the second part, he launched a blistering partisan attack on CDC supporters who had questioned government spending on Lone Star.
Tarpeh asked if they were still bitter that he and UP Secretary-General Amos Tweh removed them from power.
He then branded them “mentally deranged,” “crab mentality CDCians,” with “detestable reasoning capacity,” and threatened to “launch a campaign to donate these people called CDCians somewhere else so they can leave our country alone.
He signed off defiantly: “No leave. No transfer, the post went viral for all the wrong reasons.
Sports Minister Cornelia Wonkerleh Kruah, the government’s own sports chief and Tarpeh’s direct supervisor in football matters, publicly disowned him.
“As Minister of Youth and Sports, I do not agree with this post.
The role of Mobilization Chair is not meant to be divisive.
This cannot be another CDC vs UP moment, We should always strive to use every platform to unite and inspire national pride.
Clubs Presidents Association of Liberia (CPAL) President Sylvanus Morris issued a formal petition demanding his removal:
“Football has always served as a unifying force in Liberia… No specific group of people should be labeled in the manner in which Tarpeh labeled other Liberians. Our football is not a place for toxic and angry people.
Civil society and even former allies like LFA Executive Committee member Christian Weah Sr. tried to calm tempers, urging Liberians to separate Tarpeh’s passion for football from his choice of words, but the damage was done.
Citizens began asking tougher questions: How much of the $5 million had been raised?
Who controlled the account? How was it spent? Would there be an audit?
Tarpeh defended himself, arguing the CDC government — led by George Manneh Weah, Africa’s only Ballon d’Or winner — did little for Lone Star despite using football for political capital, and that he was being singled out because he is UP Chairman.
After three weeks of sustained criticism, on October 24, Tarpeh wrote to Raji: _I resign, effective immediately, due to personal attacks and abuse._
He did not elaborate on the fundraising status.
The LFA has not named a replacement.
But his departure leaves a scar and a lesson.
Liberia’s Lone Star is more than a team, It is one of the last institutions that can gather 35,000 Liberians in one stadium without checking party cards.