The football academy of the Cassell Kuoh Foundation has touched down on home soil after a historical representation of the country at the 2024 Youth World Cup held in Antalya, Turkey, where they emerged as the third top performing youth team.
The team touched down Tuesday evening, May 21, 2024 at Roberts International Airport in lower Margibi County, where they were received back home and welcomed by team supporters, well-wishers, along with family members, among others.
The young lads made history for themselves and the grassroots football sector by securing third place in the international youth tournament in Turkey, defeating Sabah Baku U-15 by 1-0 to be crowned 3rd place winners of the 2024 Youth World Cup.
Kuoh’s Foundation Academy faced a tough 6-0 defeat by Hertha Berlin U-15 in the semifinals on Saturday.
However, this setback did not deter the kids from giving a strong performance in the third-place match, securing a hard-fought victory over the Sabah Baku U-15 team.
A 25-man delegation from the Kuoh Foundation Academy departed Monrovia on Tuesday, May 14, to participate in the 2024 Academy World Cup in Turkey, a trip valued at US$100,000.
In their first-ever international tournament, Kuoh Foundation Academy (KFA) defeated Target Academy 2-0, with goals scored by Adolphus Blayee and Reason Gbalezeh.
They followed this up with a convincing 6-1 victory over Van 1974 F.A., with Frank Mulbah scoring a brace and Reason Gbalezeh, Darlington Hardy, Ahmah Dukuly, and Joe Kanneh, each adding one goal.
Coach Matthew Julutweh’s side collected six points from three games in Group A. They lost to Star Football Academy from Sierra Leone 10-0, but the Sierra Leonean team was expelled from the tournament for age cheating.
In the quarterfinals, Kuoh Foundation Academy secured a 2-1 victory over the defending champions, Fatih Karagumruk Sport Kulubu, earning them a spot in the semifinals. Goals by Adolphus Blayee and Reason Gbalezeh were enough to secure a semifinal spot in the 2024 Antalya Junior World Cup.
Despite losing to Hertha Berlin U-15 in the semifinal, the Foundation, a brainchild of former Liberia Football Association Vice president of Operations, Cassell Kuoh, remains committed to developing the next generation of young talents through a structured pathway for the greater good. Under the stewardship of Coach Julutweh, the team is fast becoming disciplined with a greater focus on developing the best talents in the country.
Chief Executive Officer of the Kuoh Foundation Academy, Cassell Kuoh, re-emphasized the need to build an institution that will independently operate in different leagues and integrate some of the best talents into FC-Kallon Liberia, which is expected to be renamed FC Fassell-Liberia beginning with the 2024-25 National First Division League.
According to reports from Turkey, over three players from the Liberian side have been scouted by top clubs in Turkey and other parts of the world.
“Football is serious business and we are hoping to cash in on it. We also want to start a serious investment in youth football by exposing children to many underage tournaments in the world. This is also a manifestation of how we will develop football when we become LFA president because youth and grassroots football is the way to go,” he said.
“It is more than 10 years since Liberian players, including George Weah, James Salinsa Debbah, Joe Nagbe, and Kelvin Sebwe, played in the big leagues in Europe. We want to produce the next Weah, Debbah, and Sebwe,” Kuoh explained.
