Monrovia — The president of the Liberia Football Association (LFA), Mustapha Raji, has pleaded with local match commissioners to be patient and wait for their moment regarding when FIFA and CAF will hand them the international stage to officiate matches.
They have been raising concerns why they haven't been called up by FIFA and CAF to officiate at continental competitions, but Mustapha Raji has called for their calm, patience, and dedication for two key reasons.
The president told scores of match commissioners at a refresher workshop in Monrovia on Wednesday August 14, 2024 that due to the limitation of slots and the high performance of Liberia current representatives, the list is unchanged for now.
"Every match commissioner in our football system is important and qualified enough to represent Liberia.
"However, at the level of international football we have only four slots [two males and two females] for commissioners, and we are happy our representatives are performing very well as per the reports from FIFA and CAF," Raji said.
Nonetheless, Raji said he hopes the list could be expanded by FIFA and CAF to incorporate more Liberians.
At the moment, Liberia is represented by 1st Vice President Sekou Konneh, Executive Committee member Alvin Browne and 3rd Vice President Jodie Reid-Seton, and former Executive Committee member, D. Sheba Brown.
Raji stressed that only those present at the ongoing match commissioner workshop will be eligible for selection in the pending 2024/25 Orange National League.
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Raji was speaking in Monrovia at the launch of a two-day Match Commissioners' Refresher Workshop currently being held at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium.
"The LFA has signed up for refresher training in every technical department [Coaches, Referees, and Match Commissioners], so only those who attend these training sessions will be eligible to play in the league season.
"The Football Association is going to ensure that we follow the same. Those that are present here today, are going to be the match commissioners assigned to participate in our games except those who have given excuses through the Commissioner General [Cllr. Izetta Wesley]," Raji said.
The two-day refresher workshop, according to the LFA, is intended to enhance the capacity of Match Commissioners.
Areas covered at the refresher include Coordination meetings, CMS Operation (Match day duties, swapping procedures, and match reporting), Laws of the Game, Competition Regulations, and Practical sessions.
LFA Commissioner General Izetta Wesley, Competition Manager Joel Freeman, and former FIFA referee Alex Nagbo are serving as lecturers
