The Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI) today calls on the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) to appreciate the role of media the country.
MASI President George Herming made the call in view of a standoff between local Newspaper Island Sun and a respected member of SIFF, Mr Eddie Ngava.The standoff appeared last week following the publication of an opinion letter against Mr Ngava in the Island Sun newspaper and a subsequent refusal to accredit the newspaper's journalists to cover the O'league match between Marist FC and Tafae FC of Vanuatu.
Mr Herming said MASI is concerned with the action on Island Sun saying it is not helpful for the continued warm relationship between SIFF and the local media.
He said both SIFF and the Media have equally important roles in the development of soccer in Solomon Islands.
The President said SIFF, particularly Mr Ngava, has the right to reply and clarify the allegations against him in the same newspaper that published it.
The second option is to seek legal clarification to determine which party is doing the wrong thing.
Mr Herming urges both parties to humbly resolve the standoff ahead of the upcoming Solomon Cup tournament since all soccer loving citizens of Solomon Islands have the right to follow the tournament through our newspapers, radio broadcasts, Television and Websites.