Liberia: LFA President Faces Backlash Over Grassroots Football Plan, Labeled a ‘Seven-Year Failure’
MONROVIA — Football stakeholder Emmett Stages Glassco has launched a stinging rebuke of Liberia Football Association (LFA) President Mustapha Raji, calling his grassroots football development agenda a “seven-year failure.”
In an interview with The Liberian Investigator on Tuesday, Glassco accused Raji of repeatedly touting grassroots football as the foundation for national progress, yet failing to deliver meaningful results.
“We keep hearing about grassroots football being the key to our future, but what has changed?” Glassco asked. “In seven years, there’s been no measurable improvement.”
Glassco noted that under Raji’s leadership, no youth national team, male or female, has qualified for any international tournament, despite consistent funding and numerous training programs.
He cited Liberia’s recent performance at the WAFU U-17 AFCON Qualifiers in Mali, where the national team lost all three matches, conceding 14 goals and scoring just once.
“Even after 11 months of training under an international expert from Tanzania, the team couldn’t secure a single win,” he lamented.
Missed Opportunities at Home
Glassco also referenced the WAFU U-17 Girls’ Tournament, hosted in Liberia earlier this year and won by Sierra Leone, as another squandered opportunity.
According to him, inconsistency in youth programming and weak administrative decisions have stunted player development. He recalled that a promising youth structure was dismantled in 2022 after coach Ansu Keita’s promotion to the senior national team, leaving no clear system for recruitment or coaching continuity.
“Even if we give Raji and his executive four more years, we’ll see no improvement,” Glassco said. “The grassroots system isn’t producing results.”
Funding Without Results
Glassco expressed frustration over what he described as “wasted investment,” noting that the LFA allocates more than US$100,000 annually to grassroots football programs with little visible outcome.
Raji, who assumed the LFA presidency in 2018, unveiled a blueprint emphasizing strengthening national teams, reviving inter-school competitions, and scouting rural talent. His administration has drawn praise for improving infrastructure and increasing league prize money. However, critics argue that youth football remains stagnant.
In May 2025, Raji met with President Joseph Boakai to launch a new youth football initiative. Yet skepticism remains among football stakeholders who doubt its potential impact.
Efforts to obtain Raji’s response to Glassco’s allegations were unsuccessful as of press time.
LFA Defends Its Record
Offering a counterpoint, former Liberian international goalkeeper Nathaniel Sherman, who coordinates the LFA’s Talent Development Scheme, defended the administration’s long-term strategy.
“Grassroots football isn’t about quick-impact projects,” Sherman said. “It’s about sustained, long-term initiatives that will eventually transform the game.”
He explained that Liberia is only eleven months into an eight-year FIFA-supported program, and urged patience among critics.
“It’s too early to be discouraged,” he added. “We now have U-15, U-16, and U-17 teams that can execute multiple formations in a single game. With time, we’ll get there.”
Sherman concluded that the LFA remains on the right path toward sustainable youth football development despite short-term setbacks.
By Liberian Investigator.
