29/12/2025
Liberia Football Needs a Stakeholders’ Retreat:
Reclaiming the Game, Respecting the Laws, Restoring Unity
Liberian football stands at a dangerous crossroads. What should be a unifying national passion is today deeply divided, weakened by mistrust, unfair decisions, and a growing disregard for the Laws of the Game and established football governance principles. The is a need for an urgent National Football Stakeholders’ Retreat.
Over the past years, Liberian football has witnessed decisions that contradict the very laws and statutes meant to protect the integrity of the game. Processes have been bypassed, congress authority undermined, and critical decisions taken without due consultation. These actions do not only violate governance norms; they damage the credibility of our football at home and abroad.
When rules are selectively applied, and statutes are treated as optional, football stops being a fair competition and becomes a tool of control. This trend has no place in a modern football system and poses a serious threat to Liberia’s standing within CAF and FIFA structures.
One of the most troubling realities in Liberian football today is how individuals, clubs, officials, and stakeholders are treated simply because they disagree with the LFA President or the current leadership direction. Dissent—an essential element of democracy and progress—has increasingly been met with intimidation, exclusion, suspensions, or administrative victimization.
Football cannot grow in an environment of fear. When constructive criticism is punished, innovation dies, confidence erodes, and division deepens. No single individual is bigger than Liberian football, and leadership must never be confused with ownership.
The Liberian football community is more divided now than at any point in recent history. Administrators are split, clubs are polarized, referees are caught in the middle, and fans are losing trust. This division is not accidental, it is the product of sustained unfair decisions, poor communication, and leadership styles that prioritize loyalty over competence and unity.
If left unresolved, this division will eventually destroy grassroots development, discourage investors and sponsors, and rob young Liberian talents of opportunities they deserve.
Liberia is blessed with men and women who have sacrificed their lives, resources, time, and reputations to build football in this country. Their legacy must not be destroyed by ongoing conflicts and power struggles.
This is a respectful but urgent call to these elders, pioneers, and long-serving contributors: step forward and intervene. If necessary, even step aside temporarily from active contestation, not as a sign of weakness, but as a noble act to protect all you have built. History will honor those who choose football over personal battles.
Liberian football urgently needs a well-structured, inclusive, and independent Stakeholders’ Retreat, bringing together:
• Past and present LFA officials
• past and present Club owners and administrators (male and female leagues)
• County and grassroots football leaders
• past and present Referees, past and present coaches, and players’ representatives
• Former players and national icons
• Sports journalists and marketing experts
• Government and private sector partners
This retreat must aim to:
1. Restore respect for the Laws of the Game and football statutes
2. Address governance failures and unfair practices
3. Create a framework for tolerance of dissent and healthy debate
4. Heal divisions and rebuild trust across the football community
5. Agree on reforms that protect the image and future of Liberian football
6. Recommit to the principle of One Football, One Community
The outcome of this retreat should be a Liberia Football Unity Declaration, backed by practical reforms, clear timelines, and an independent monitoring mechanism. This is not about who wins or loses politically; it is about saving the game.
The warning signs are clear. If stakeholders fail to act now, history will record this period as the moment Liberian football was allowed to collapse under avoidable leadership conflicts and governance arrogance.
A stakeholders’ retreat isn’t optional, it is a necessity. As a community, we have to choose unity and reform, or continued division and decline.
For the sake of the players, the fans, the future stars, and the legacy of those who built this game from nothing, Liberian football must choose unity now.