By Danesius Marteh
In ancient days, there was a Joseph the dreamer, who was Jacob’s favorite son and whose prophetic dreams made him the second most powerful man in Egypt, where he saved the nation from famine.
In modern times, we have Joseph Yado Howe the lawyer, whose prophetic understanding of the law made him the first Liberian lawyer to win a case against the Liberia Football Association (LFA) and its arrogant President, Mustapha Ishola Raji on the relegation of Jubilee FC to the third division at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland in an eight-count arbitral award delivered by Atty. Herve Le Lay of France on 31 October 2025.
Atty. Howe had submitted four pleas with three fully granted and one partially accepted.
CAS ordered the LFA to provisionally reinstate Jubilee in the first division for the 2025/2026 season pending the decision by the club licensing appeal board (CLAB).
It asked CLAB to resume jurisdiction and reach a decision on Jubilee’s appeal of 14 April 2025 against the decision issued on 14 April 2025 by the LFA to relegate Jubilee in a January 2, 2025 letter written by secretary-general Emmett Crayton under clear instruction from President Mustapha Raji.
Howe wanted the LFA to fully refund the costs of arbitration but Herve shared the cost with 25-percent for Jubilee and 75-percent for the LFA.
Jubilee spent more than US$35,000 because the LFA refused to pay its share of cost with the hope that the case would have been dismissed thinking and or believing that Jubilee couldn’t afford the money.
And now Howe is poised to win another case against the LFA in rejecting Jubilee’s proposal for an extraordinary congress to amend portions of the LFA statutes.
In a rejection letter on 2 January, Crayton questioned Jubilee’s legal standings as a member along with Gedeh FC, Susa, Golden Dreams, Wein Town and Liberia Falconet FC.
Crayton and Raji, who have been calling clubs that signed Jubilee’s petition, bizarrely said Borough FC, World Girls, Real Muja and Margibi FC denied ever signing any petition.
Some Liberian constitutional lawyers, who have reviewed the proposal versus rejection have said the LFA will lose the appeals sought by Jubilee with the appeals committee or in a court of competent jurisdiction.
They have argued that the facts, circumstances, statutes and controlling laws don’t justify the rejection made by Crayton.
One of the lawyers, for example, wondered how can the LFA interfered in the affairs of beach soccer, one of its affiliate members, which the statutes classified as an independent body.
I can only imagine the intimidation and hate beach soccer coordinator Clarence Lee Chea is undergoing following calls from Raji and Crayton inquiring why he signed the petition, which was the fifth reason why it was rejected.
But Howe was right when he said the LFA is full of arrogance and or ignorance.
“I like to reference the Jubilee case because that’s the fresh memory of the abuse of power and the allowance for ego to thrive,” Howe told Prime FM on 1 January.
He didn’t mince his words when he said the headquarters for ego is the LFA.
“Ego is living there with them. They always believe they are right. Nobody dares to say something else. What the LFA does is to re-litigate matters that have already been resolved,” Howe added.
An elder once said, “power is a house built for many owners, but it collapses when the last one burns it down.”
Edwin Melvin Snowe, Jr. (now a Bomi County senator) didn’t burn the LFA.
Cllr. Sombo Izetta Wesley didn’t burn the LFA.
Musa Hassan Bility (now a Nimba County district #9 representative) didn’t burn the LFA.
It appears Raji, who didn’t inherit ashes, is so desperate for power that he wants to burn the LFA.
Raji’ unbridled arrogance and greed for the US$130,000 per annum that comes with being president and CAF executive committee member has gone beyond the roof and is hitting the sky.
History remembers victories loudly.
But it keeps its deepest lessons in conversations held before sunrise.
