Monrovia-Liberia Football Association (LFA) President Mustapha Raji says he feels excited that specialized coaching courses are being done under his administration.

By: Christopher C.Walker christopherc.walker@frontpageafricaonline.com 0777898224/0886723075

Raji said he will continue to raise the bar for those who support him, criticize him or are sitting on the fence as he continues his drive for football development.

He was speaking at the end of a CAF goalkeeping coaching course, which began on 25 August, at the LFA headquarters in Congo Town on 29 August.

The LFA conducted a fitness coaching course in April and an anti-doping course in July.

 “We believe that the knowledge you have gained from these experts will be utilized because you will soon be teaching outside Liberia. We will have more courses to help the development of your players.

“Those, who are out there dreaming [of becoming leaders of the LFA], they should continue dreaming because we are going to raise the bar higher when we leave the LFA.

“By the power vested in me as president of the [Liberia] Football Association, I hereby declared this [CAF goalkeeping] course duly closed,” said Raji to a thunderous round of applause.

Executive committee member Ivan Brown, who chairs the LFA technical and development committee, praised the participants for bracing the storm.

“It is a difficult thing to attend a course but far more difficult to start and end a course. The LFA continues to look for opportunities but everyone, who has that opportunity doesn’t attend when we organize these courses.

“We spend a lot of money to hold these courses but people don’t show-up because it is free. We are going to put some charges to these courses in the future,” Brown revealed.

For his part, Deputy Sports Minister Andy Quamie thanked the LFA for the course.

“I am seeing a lot of our former national team goalkeepers, who have attended this course. I am also seeing a lot of infield coaches. In my more than 28 years in football, this is the first time I have seen a specialized coaching course in Liberia for goalkeepers. This is good for football development,” added Quamie.

The course, which had theoretical and practical sessions, was facilitated by CAF coaching instructor Alejandro Alfredo Heredia of Argentina.

Heredia, who has over 40 years of experience, was assisted by former Liberia goalkeeping coach Lucretius Togba.

“You don’t need a special cabin at home to learn. Learning is from the head and heart. Football is the real winner; football is the priority. I had the privilege to interact with a lot of experienced goalkeepers.

“Keep learning, keep pushing forward and keep pressing on the federation and government to organize more courses not only in goalkeeping,” said Heredia.

LFA acting technical director Kesselee Kanneh, who gave an overview, said clubs in the Orange national league were given priority but few show-up.

“The course was intensive, rich and rewarding. From what was taught in the class and on the field, there will be some changes in the goalkeeping department [of the national league]. My recommendation to the executive committee is that coaches standing on the line [regardless of which area] must have some level of qualification,” Kanneh emphasized.

Thirty-two (32) persons successfully completed the course.

Monrovia – The Liberia Football Association (LFA) has officially ended an investigation into the mysterious transfer of US$200,000 from Egypt to Poland.

In a letter to Police Inspector General Patrick Sudue on 16 June, LFA secretary-general Isaac Montgomery thanked the police for its professionalism and cooperation throughout the investigation.

The LFA says the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has agreed to refund the US$200,000, which was included in the 2020 LFA budget passed at the 24th ordinary congress at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville on June 12.

This means, the LFA will receive US$400,000 from CAF for this year, including CAF’s yearly subvention of US$200,000.

LFA President Mustapha Raji appeared before the police on February 6, 2019 to explain the discovery of the mysterious transfer of US$200,000 from CAF’s accounts in Egypt to the accounts of Rosenbaum Contemporary Group in Poland.

The money, which was meant for football development programs in Liberia, was transferred in two phases of US$100,000 on August 28, 2017 and June 2018, respectively.

Former LFA Secretary General, Emmanuel Deah and CAF’s finance department underwent police investigations in Monrovia and Cairo based on a request from CAF compliance committee following an LFA complaint.

Raji officially complained to CAF President Ahmad Ahmad about the mysterious transfer during the extraordinary congress to elect former Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi’s successor in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on 30 September 2018.

He was accompanied by Deputy Sports Minister Andy Quamie, who is a FIFA and CAF match commissioner and inspector. The LNP was also officially asked to conduct the probe on 2 January 2019.