Monrovia With the domestic league football in Liberia’s top flight nearing its conclusion, former Liberia Football Association Vice President for Operations, Cassell Anthony Kouh, has officially completed the full ownership of Orange National League-1st Division club FC Kallon Liberia.
By: Christopher C Walker 0777898224/0886723075 [email protected]
Kallon FC Liberia, formerly Muscat FC, agreed to sell the club to Kouh, who expressed interest in returning to football. The deal was completed on Saturday, February 24, 2014, at the office of the new owner, Cassell Kouh, in Monrovia, with Charles Massaely and club shareholder Musician CIC signing on behalf of FC Kallon, while Cassell Kouh signed for the new owner. Though an official statement has not been released by FC Kallon Liberia, it is believed that the formal turnover ceremony will be held today, Monday, February 26, 2024, where the players and officials will be introduced to their new owner.
Speaking to FrontPage Africa about the takeover, Mr. Kouh expressed his excitement about getting back into Liberian Football. “I can say to you after months of speculation about me wanting to buy a club, today we want to inform you officially that it is true that I have taken over FC Kallon Liberia,” Kouh said. He added that he is indeed grateful that he is back in Football to help create opportunities for young footballers. Cassell added that his goal for the club is to provide the best opportunities for the players technically and financially to ensure they achieve the desired results. “We are not just taking over to be in football but rather to make an impact, which is to maintain the team in the first division this season,” he said. “Our takeover of this club is not just about football but rather to look for partnerships with clubs outside of Liberia where we can transfer our players,” said the former LFA Vice President.
Kouh has not disclosed the amount he purchased the club for from FC Kallon Liberia, but it is believed he reportedly purchased the club 100% and paid over twenty thousand United States dollars for the club. Meanwhile, the club’s name will remain FC Kallon Liberia for this season, and at the end of the season, it will be renamed FC Fassell.
Last year, Muscat FC changed its name to FC Kallon Liberia. However, there was an agreement that Mohammed Kallon, the former Sierra Leonean player, would observe the business arrangement with Muscat FC for a year before becoming a majority owner.
In the beginning, Liberians saw Emmanuel Gono move to Sierra Leone, where he spent time developing his skills with FC Kallon before going to Sweden.
From a business perspective, FC Kallon Liberia needs direct investment to improve the team and work on long-term projects.
On the other hand, Cassell Kouh has been trying to find a club to buy in the Liberian market.
But why can’t Kouh simply register FC Fassell in the league instead of purchasing a club?
The reason is that Cassell A. Kouh plans to run for the presidency of the Liberian Football Association (LFA) in 2026.
To achieve that, he needs to be associated with a club in the top two divisions.
However, most teams in Division 1 and 2 are not willing to sell their clubs to Cassell Kouh. They are loyal to the current leadership of the LFA under Raji.
FC Kallon Liberia, being a more central club, has disagreed with some of the league policies under Raji’s leadership.
This disagreement made it easier for them to welcome Cassell A. Kouh onboard through a selling and buying deal.
Since Mohammed Kallon does not have direct ownership of the club, it was easier for the owner of FC Kallon Liberia to handle the financial aspects of the club’s transition.
FC Kallon Liberia is facing relegation threats with eight games left in Division 1. In order to stay in Division 1, they need to win, win, win, win, win, and avoid a defeat. Even if they can’t win all of their remaining matches, they still need to accumulate more points from the 24 points left. Currently, they are on 16 points from 18 games and are placed 12th on the table among the fourteen teams.