Monrovia-Liberia were eliminated from the West African Football Union (Wafu Zone ‘A’) men’s under-20 qualifiers for the second time in a row following a 1-1 draw with Guinea at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex (SKD) in Paynesville on 21 September.

By Danesius Marteh, archie2024@gmail.com

The Starlets finished third in Group ‘A’ with four points after a 1-0 win over Guinea Bissau on 15 September and a 3-1 defeat to Sierra Leone on 18 September at the SKD.

Liberia also exited the 2022 edition in Mauritania in September, having finished bottom of Group ‘B’ with a point while Senegal (10 points), Gambia (seven points plus four goals), Guinea (seven points plus three goals) and Cape Verde (three points) finished in the pecking order.

This is another evidence of the declining state of football under Nigerian-born Liberian Mustapha Ishola Raji as president of the Liberia Football Association (LFA).

Raji, who acts like he knows it all, is untroubled that our national teams have not qualified for any finals of a major competition aside from hosting.

Liberia were runners-up to Gambia when it hosted the 2018 edition, which serves as a qualifying round for the under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, from April to May.

Nimba County Representative Musa Hassan Bility was LFA President while Fifa was mediating in an electoral impasse following a writ of prohibition filed by presidential candidate George Solo at the Civil Law Court in Monrovia.

Disgusting preparations  

Liberia were gradually returning to grassroots football with Ansu Keita’s recruitment and the creation of an under-15, which was promoted to an under-17.

But Keita’s under-17, which had trained for several months in Monrovia and Careysburg with friendlies against some of the big clubs, participated in a Wafu under-15 in Guinea in May [confirmed the date] and had a fabulous tour of Austria in June 2022 [confirmed the date], were thrown under the bus when Raji intentionally, deliberately, knowingly and conscientiously refused for the lads to undergo a pre magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test in Guinea, Ghana or Senegal despite repeated calls from Keita.

Raji bizarrely decided that administrative manager Eric Panton should take attestation forms to homes for parents to sign that their children were under-17.

Who doesn’t want better things?

Raji’s hypothesis backfired in his laboratory in Black Ginah community and Keita’s team was disgracefully banned from the qualifiers in Mauritania in October 2022 after two players failed the MRI tests conducted by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

What is funny is the fact that Raji, a Caf executive committee member, is aware that Caf heavily relies on the MRI tests to determine players’ eligibility after the submission of their registration details, including playing cards and passports.

Politicians benefited from the under-17’s elimination since footballing icon George Manneh Weah was president.  

A preparation that started in January 2021 [confirmation of date needed] with Keita’s recruitment from Canada, spending of scarce resources, time and effort and documentaries went in the dustbin as Keita and his players cried in Nouakchott like babies needing to be changed after some messy nights.

Raji first blamed ‘insincere parents’ for the team’s elimination but he was forced to take responsibility after the Sports Minister Zeogar Wilson and former LFA Vice President Wilmot F. Smith, Jr. slammed him for his sheer administrative ineptitude and incompetence.

The disqualification made local and international headlines, including on the BBC World Service.

So the under-17 were promoted to under-20 as the search for Keita’s replacement began.

Former Liberia international Kelvin Sebwe took temporary charge of the under-20 and won a Peace Cup against Sierra Leone at the SKD [time and year].

Sebwe wanted to hold on permanently but could neither tolerate nor accept a flagrant disrespect from Raji, who had offered him a monthly wage of US$500.

The midfield maestro had a point to prove because Gambia’s Tapha Manneh, his predecessor, was handsomely paid US$2,500 per month, given a car, an accommodation, a roundtrip ticket to Banjul per year, scratch cards, laundry and food money for two years.

I would have called a press conference if I were Sebwe to slam Raji’s arrogance and manufactured nonsense.  

Tapha holds a CAF License ‘B’ plus some coaching experience while Sebwe holds a CAF License ‘A’, some coaching experience, having played in Europe and for the Liberian national teams for many years and graduated in September with a bachelor degree from the University of Liberia.

Raji sought the intervention of Deputy Sports Minister Andy Quamie and Assistant Sports Minister Murvee Gray to persuade Sebwe to change his mind or to convince former Liberia coach Thomas Kojo to step in.

But Kojo was unwilling to betray Sebwe and told the meditating team to give whatever his cousin wanted.

With time running out, Raji and his LFA turned to Emmanuel Kaykay since they were unwilling to pay Sebwe the salary and benefits given to Tapha.

The chemistry and morale instilled in the team by Sebwe were broken and the rest is history.

And Liberia, with disgusting preparations, spectacularly bowed out of a men’s under-20 Wafu qualifiers for the second successive time under an integrity-in-chief as Raji is called by his supporters.

Monrovia- Following Liberia under 20 national team’s elimination from the West African Football Union zone A U-20 tournament, the head of the Liberia U-20, Emmanuel Kaykay, has frowned at officiating in the tournament.

 By: Christopher C Walker christopherc.walker@frontpageafriaconline.com

Liberia, serving as hosts, failed to make it to the semi-final as a result of a win, draw and a defeat,  which many football lovers were unhappy with.

Coach Kaykay boys in their opening match secured a 1-0 victory over Guinea Bissau and suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Sierra Leone, while on Saturday, Liberia came from a goal down to force a 1-1 draw with Guinea In a game Liberia had a goal disallowed when Emmanuel Sieh hit in an overhead volley.

Facing the media after the match, Coach Kaykay accused the West African football Union of favoring the French speaking  countries.

In his accusation, Kaykay said “WAF is making the tournament a Francophone tournament. “My major problem was with the match officials. Their officiating was very poor. This tournament should be one for West Africa, but instead they turned it into a Francophone tournament. We scored a clear goal early minute against Guinea, but it was cancelled for no justifiable reason. Why will you use a French referee to officiate our game when we have Portuguese and English referees? I think it was a calculated plan to rob us of what we deserve,” Kaykay said.

The Liberian coach said despite his team not making it to the last four, his team played well in the tournament but because of poor officiating they didn’t get the needed results.

“The team performance was great. We played extremely well. Out of three games, we won one, drew one and lost one. I think that was amazing.

“Overall, we played well but were victimized due to poor officiating from the match officials.” He added.

Meanwhile, the Liberia Football Association has disassociated Itself from Coach Emmanuel Kakay’s statement.

In a release issued on Sunday, Liberia Football Association (LFA)  clarified that the  views expressed by Coach Emmanuel Kakay during his post-match press conference on Saturday, do not align with the values and principles upheld by the Liberia Football Association.

“As an association, we are committed to promoting a culture of respect and integrity within the sport of football. We firmly oppose any remarks or sentiments that contradict this commitment. We recognize the potential impact of these comments and want to ensure our partners, the public and our stakeholders that they do not reflect the beliefs or stances of the Liberia Football Association.

“We remain steadfast in our mission to foster a positive and respectful environment for all participants in football, and we appreciate the support from our partners, WAFU, CAF, and FIFA,” a release signed by Emmet Crayton General Secretary Liberia Football Association said.

Paynesville City- Liberia  Women’s Champions Determine have blowout of the Confederation of African Football women’s Champions league qualifiers.

By Jaheim T.  Tumu- jaheim.tumu@frontpageafricaonline.com

The Liberian Champions who won WAFU Zone A as champions last year  after defeating   Senegalese double champions USPA to clinch the first-ever WAFU Zone ‘A’ Women Champions League created high  expectations amongst local supporters to retain their  title they won nearly a year ago but fail to  repeat such.

But the champion’s chances of becoming the WAFU Zone ‘A’ representative were dashed following a 1-1 draw with Senegalese side, AS Dakar Sacre Coeur.

The stalemate placed Determine Girls who needed a compulsory win in their second game after they were demolished by AS Mande 3-0 in their opening fixture at the bottom of the table.

Despite playing on home soil,  they have so far recorded one point and have a negative three-goal from two matches played  going to the final fixture against Sierra Leonean side Mogbewmo Queens

Determine Girls added a couple of players to their rank in preparation for the tournament.

The players brought on board were midfielder Louise Brown who joined on loan from Soccer Ambassador,  central defender Lucy Massaquoi arrived from Blanco FC,  goalkeeper Anita Davies from Hippo, and Gambian international Catherine Jatta joining on a loan deal from Police FC.

They also recruited former  Liberia under-20 coach Tapha Manneh on a short contractual deal.

But coach Manneh whose side was hammered was hoping to revive and redeem his side in the second game.

 He made a couple of chances to the reigning WAFU Zone ‘A’ Champions, in their second match.

 Although they were considered the underdog going into the match,  the champions brought the fruit of joy for the home supporters after  AS Dakar player was adjudged to have handed in the area.

Mabinty Camara who missed the opener and covered more space on the pitch during the match,  converted from the spot to give her side the lead in the 40 minutes.

AS Dakar missed a couple of chances, particularly from Korka Fall who missed a close-range effort in the nine minutes and Haby Blade’s ambitious effort from the far right corner hit the crossbar before the interval.

The Senegalese side after controlling the vast majority of the match and enjoying a giant share of possession found the equalizer in the 76th minute after loanee Louise Brown handed the ball in the penalty box.

But there was a protest to the build-up after Sylvia Payne was adjudged to being fouled. 

But Fall had no interest in the protest as she coolly converted from the spot to secure a draw for her side and set a decisive match against AS Mande that would determine who wins the tournament.

Monrovia – The West African Football Union (WAFU) Zone -A under 20 tournament group-stage draw has been made in Monrovia, with host Liberia facing Cape Verde in the opening match of the tournament, while Senegal will meet Mail in group B.

The draw for the WAFU under 20 group stage was held on Monday, March 26, 2018, as the likes of Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Senegal, Mail and hosts Liberia learned their fate.

The draw ceremony chaired by the secretary Generals of WAFU Zones A and B Jammeh E. K. Bojang and Akan Malan was held at the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex and attended by representatives of participating countries embassy in Liberia.

Liberia was drawn against neighbor Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, and Cape Verde in Group A, while Senegal will battle things out with Gambia, Guinea and Mali in Group B.

The organizers of the tournament, which is sponsored by FOX News Network,  said it will run from April 24, to May 6, 2018 in Monrovia and will feature eight of the nine countries in WAFU Zone A.

The Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex and the Antoinette Tubman Stadium are the two stadiums selected for the tournament. 

Speaking during the ceremony, LFA President Musa Bility said the tournament will be named in honored of President George Weah for his contributions to football and his achievement.

He added that the theme of the tournament is “14” in recognition of President Weah’s jersey he wore during his playing days for the national team of Liberia.

“We all know what 14 means. It explains itself so 14 is the number everyone remember,” Bility said.

Bility, who is also the Vice President of WAFU, said the regional body decided to host the tournament in Liberia in order to inspire young talents.

“For too long, we have been in search of talents, we believed that the WAFU tournament is an opportunity to invest and discover young talents,” he further stated.

The LFA President admitted that the host team has not been training but said he is hopeful of the junior Lone Star boys pulling the needed results throughout the tournament.

Bility, who has been a strong critic of Liberian fans, called on football lovers to demonstrate good behaviors and attitudes during the games, which will send out a good image of the country to the outside world.

Youth and Sports Minister Zoegar Wilson said the tournament is the rebirth of football in Liberia as many hidden talents will be discovered.

Minister Wilson said Liberia will win the tournament on home soil because the government will fully support the team as they did in 1970.

The former goalkeeper said the government is committed to supporting WAFU in every means and the LFA for a successful hosting of the eight nations youth tournament.

Meanwhile, the National Under-20 Team of Liberia started their preparation on Monday March 26, 2018 for the WAFU/FOX U-20 Tournament with a pool of 54 players justifying their inclusion.

The head coach of the National Under-20 Team Christopher Wreh said the vetting exercise will run for five days and 25 players, who will meet the technical standard set by his technical staff are expected to be selected.

The former Liberian international said the final 25 players will then begin intensive preparation at the George Weah Technical Center and SKD Sports Complex respectively.

Coach Wreh said the players have been drawn from local clubs in all divisions of Liberian football and said he hopes to get the best 25 out of the 54 players in the pool.

Monrovia –  A high power 25-man delegation of the champions of Liberia Barrack Young Controllers (BYC) have  departed the country fo

r Senegal (Dakar) to honor the invitation from the West African Football Union (WAFU) four Champions teams’ tournament.

BYC departed the country Wednesday afternoon with LFA named senior national team head coach James Debbah as head of delegation.

The “Go Blue Boys” will join the champions of Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, in Dakar for the Fox News WAFU sponsorship deal tournament that will run from March 30, to April 2, 2017.

Only League Champions from Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana, and Senegal were invited by WAFU, putting Liberia’s BYC in the prestigious class of ECOWAS teams.

Invited teams are Ghana-(Wa All Stars), Ivory Coast,-(AS Tanda), Liberia-Barrack Young Controllers), and Senegal-(US Gorée/Dakar).

FOX news is a giant United States (Los Angeles based) TV network with a massive worldwide audience. 

The tournament should have taken place on December 8-10 2016, but was postponed by WAFU due to a conflicting date with a religious festival in Senegal.  

The tournament’s is aimed at celebrating WAFU Zone-A 25 Million USD long-term sponsorship agreement with FOX news Networks Group (FNG).

It is confirmed that CAF President Ahmad Ahmad,  will attend the event and rumored FIFA President Gianni Infantino will also be in Dakar. 

One may also say because of the prestige associated with the tournament, major team scouts from Europe will be in hand to see talents at first hand. Thus, BYC will take along some of its rising stars from feeder team/junior outfit BYC-II. 

They include winger Sam Jackson, central defender Solomon Zeah, and goalie Sekou Beyoh.

The communitcation to BYC from WAFU states that WAFU will shourlder the transportation and hotel accomodation for all of the teams for only a 25 men  delegation. 

The delegation headed by James Debbah,  BYC technial team is headed by its Director of Football Thomas Kojo, and Head Coach Cooper Sannah; his team includes Anthony Awi, Ben Perry, Melvin Jerry and Albert Sarweh.

Players are:  Sam Jackon, Prince Jetoh, David Tweh, Ketu Jerbo, Hilton Varney, Prince Kenney, Koffa Dougbeh, Prince Saydee Allenton Sembeh, Gideon Williams, Claudius Morris, Kemoh Kamarah , James Kpoto, Abdulai Bility, Simar AT Kamara, Solomom Zeah, Sekou Bayoh, and captain Van-Dave Harmon.

BYC who are the champions of Liberia on Januray 29, 2017 defeated FC Johansen in an International frieldly  2-1 in their prepartion for the CAF Champions League and defeated Stade Malien on Feburay 12, 2017 1-0 in the CAF Champions  League and went on to qualifyed over their counterparts from Mali during the second leg in Mali 7-6 on penalties shoot-out after lossing 1-0 during regular time. 

The Liberia champions were knock out of the CAF Champions league during the prelimenary round Finals by Mozambique Champions Club Ferroviario  De Beria on penalties shoot-out 4-1.

BYC will on April 9, 2017 at  the ATS host South African gaint SuperSport United in the CAF Confederarion Cup and will be hoping to secure good results in Senegal to well prepared them for their tough task aganist United.

Speaking to Frontpage Africa BYC President Sekou Konneh said they are optimic of puting up good performence in Dakar.

“I trust my team we are able to bring back home the trophy like we did in Freetown few years back.”

Mr. Konneh has welcomed the idea of WAFU to host such tournment and wants it to be an annual tournment within West Africa.”