Monrovia – Liberia’s U-17 women’s national team head coach, Sekou Manubah, has raised concerns over the ages of players fielded by Sierra Leone at the ongoing WAFU A U-17 tournament, after his side fell 3-0 to Sierra Leone on Friday at the SKD Sports Complex.
By: Christopher C Walker
Coach Manubah, speaking after the defeat, suggested that more scrutiny is needed in age verification to ensure fairness across the competition.
“I think there should be more checking on ages in this tournament. We have a complete U-17 team. I am not so sure about them, but maybe there wasn’t much investigation made,” he said.
“I hope there can be more checks. Like our team, you see lots of young babies striving to fight and give Liberia their best, and showcase their talent for the betterment of their career.”
When asked if the physical size of the Sierra Leonean players was a factor in the result, Manubah admitted it played a role.
“To be honest, yes. There were more older women in the squad of Sierra Leone. It’s not a hidden secret. There were lots of them who were bigger and more physical. These could be some of the advantages they had over us,” the coach explained.
Despite the setback, Manubah praised his players for their courage, noting that the side is relatively new and still has three matches left in the tournament.
“I’m still positive. My team has shown some good performances, and the tournament is still on. We have three more games, our heads are up, and we will show good results at the end.”
He identified goalscoring as the major weakness in Friday’s match, emphasizing that his side must be sharper in attack.
“Not scoring goals was our problem, but that will be worked on as the tournament progresses,” he noted.
Match Summary
Sierra Leone opened the scoring just four minutes into the game from the penalty spot.
Liberia responded with good spells of possession but struggled to find the finishing touch.
In the 18th minute, Sierra Leone doubled their lead with a composed strike, leaving Liberia chasing the game.
Despite being down 2-0 at halftime, the Liberian girls pushed forward after the break. Naomi Wonshia came closest when her cross rattled the crossbar, while the Sierra Leone goalkeeper pulled off a fine save midway through the half to deny Liberia a lifeline.
The visitors sealed victory in the 80th minute on a counterattack, completing a 3-0 win. Sierra Leone now sit top of the group with six points from two matches, following earlier success against Senegal.
Liberia will now shift focus to their remaining fixtures, hoping to bounce back stronger under the guidance of Monuba.
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