Monrovia — The president of the Liberia Football Association Mustapha Raji has alarmed over difficulties the national team is facing ahead of their qualifiers this month.
The senior national football team of Liberia is expected to take on Togo away from home on September 6, and four days later welcome Algeria in Monrovia, but getting funding for the team is uncertain.
During his August media engagement, Raji said the government of Liberia is yet to release allocation for the team's trip to Togo.
Raji said the LFA has tried its possible best in the past for the team to honor its matches but as things stand they are unable to step in until the government can make the funding available.
"We cannot tell you now when the national team will depart because there is no commitment or final conclusion from the Liberian Government in terms of when we will get the money," he said.
"The quotation provided to get the tickets from here to Togo was around a thousand five hundred United States dollars per person from here to Togo but now this amount is increasing because as we get closer to the departure time we should have left on September 1, 2024 and as we get closer to our departure time without buying the tickets the price gets higher"
"Also, we can't confirm where we will be staying in Togo because the company that assisted in the past believed me, and I can no longer continue because we have been owing that company since March 2024 and it will make no sense to go back to the same individual without even paying the first amount to request someone who is out of the country and is not a Liberian to make the sacrifice.
"So far we can't confirm which hotel the team will be staying in and eating and the worst case if the money doesn't come on time the team will leave on the 5th or the 6th to play and come right back to Liberia."
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Rija said funding they have at the LFA is not enough and can't use it for the national team because of the regulations from FIFA and there is nothing the Football house can do now.
According to the LFA boss, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been trying to convince the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to get the allocation for the national team, adding the national team couldn't make it for a training camp in Saudi Arabia because the government said there was no money for the team to travel and when they finally decided to make the money for the trip available it was late and the airline that had collect their unsettled debt the government owed for the national team.
"This is not new to the national team. I am not a rich man. I try to do my best for the country, there are things we do and we don't have to come and talk. We struggle with the national team but there are times we need to do things on our own." Mustapha Raji said.
Raji also informed the media that the players are yet to get their winning bonuses from their victory over Sao Tome and Principe, something he said is demotivating the players.
Liberia's two matches against Togo and Algeria are 2025 AFCON qualifiers and if the country failed to honor would lead to serious action from the Confederation of African Football and the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).
FrontPage Africa has learned that the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is hesitant to release funding for the team's trip, which could have severe consequences for the national team.
