-- The Liberia Football Association (LFA) has disqualified Wein Town FC from the National Third Division playoffs after the club fielded four ineligible players in a 3-0 semifinal win over SUSA FC on Saturday, June 28.
The match, played at the Albert T. White Sports Pitch in Zwedru, initially saw Wein Town advance to the final and secure promotion to the Second Division. However, SUSA FC filed a formal protest, alleging that Wein Town had violated player eligibility rules.
According to SUSA FC, four players--Daniel Howard, James Gbah, Melvin Riesler and Swone Weege--had duplicate registrations in the Connect system, with conflicting birth dates and missing transfer documentation from their previous clubs.
Following an investigation, a special protest committee headed by the LFA Legal Affairs Department upheld the protest and found Wein Town FC in violation of the association's regulations.
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The committee found that:
- Daniel Howard was registered with both Horizon FC and Wein Town FC;
- James Gbah and Melvin Riesler were still officially listed with Wologisi FC while also registered by Wein Town;
- Swone Weege had an active registration with another club at the time of the match.
As a result of the ruling, Wein Town FC has been disqualified from the playoffs, fined 10,000 Liberian dollars, and stripped of its promotion.
SUSA FC has been reinstated and awarded the semifinal victory. The club will now face Paris FC in the playoff final.
Meanwhile, Phebe Athletic, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals, will now meet Golden Dream FC in the third-place match, with the winner earning the tournament's final promotion slot.
The four Wein Town players involved in the violation have each been suspended from all football-related activities for one year.
