The president of Liberia’s Upper Women’s League Club, Shaita Angels Football Club, Benita Urey, has expressed disappointment in those calling for the resignation of Mustapha Raji as president of the Liberia Football Association through sustained and continuous protest action.
She described their actions as a risk to the development of football in a country that is heavily challenged, noting that it could lead to withdrawal of support from international partners working with the local football house.
In recent time, there has been growing cases of protestation across the country targeted towards the resignation of Raji by diverse groups of Liberians who believe and adjudge his administration at the FA as a failed one.
It is becoming business as usual for the football house as folks with placards bearing inscriptions of different allegations storm the grounds of the headquarters and some match venues to call for the Association’s president’s resignation.
On Monday, January 15, 2024, former national team players and disenchanted football followers resumed their protest, calling for the immediate resignation of the Liberia Football Association President, Mustapha I. Raji, due to alleged poor management of the local football house.
The angry football lovers began their protests in November of 2023, following the Lonestar’s home defeat to Malawi in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
On Tuesday, January 16, the president of the women’s club spoke to journalists in Congo Town, asserting that the protest actions launched against Raji is counter-productive to the development of football in the country.
She explained that despite having some personal issues with the LFA, she believes that those supporting the series of protests against him are not doing well for Liberian football.
According to the female football administrator, the act of staging protests from one office to another has the propensity to drive away investors from the country’s sports sector.
“Football is our biggest sport, so such acts can even lead to FIFA or CAF holding back their support to the Liberia Football Association due to alleged corruption news on social media,” Urey stated.
Meanwhile, Urey said Shaita Angels are fully prepared for the second phase of the league season by bringing in three new players to improve the squad.
“We have brought in three new players that include two defenders from Liberia and a Ghanaian player to help us win the championship and the Orange Cup,” she said.
At the same time, she announced that her club is expected to bid farewell to one of its players that will be joining a club in Easten Europe.
“We have signed a partnership with a club in Europe to transfer female players every season, but more will be said on Saturday at our game when we are going say a good bye message to one of our players, whose name we do not want to make known for now,” she concluded.
