Africa-Press – Liberia. In what is fast shaping into an explosive internal row, Determine Girls Football Club CEO Cassell Kouh has admitted to leaving behind the team’s designated Head of Delegation (HOD), Madam Rochell Woodson, during the club’s departure to Senegal for the 2025 WAFU A Women’s Club Championship Qualifiers.
The team’s first batch departed Liberia on July 31, but noticeably absent was
madam Woodson a high profile football administrator officially appointed by the Liberia Football Association (LFA) to lead the delegation.
In an interview on local radio Prime FM sports track Kouh revealed that both Woodson and player Mathaline Moore were denied boarding over a ticketing problem, leaving him with a last-minute choice to make.
“When I got to the desk to solve the problem, I was told to pay an additional two thousand dollars for one person ticket,” Kouh said. “So I chose my player over the head of delegation. You don’t need to take a head of delegation to a game, so it was a choice I made.”
Kouh claimed he had already spent over US$50,000 to facilitate travel for a 40-member delegation and said the airline’s refusal to board the two came as a surprise.
He added that Woodson was not included in the second batch of travelers, who departed on Friday, due to financial limitations and competing responsibilities including preparations for his Fassell FC preseason tour to Egypt.
“I can safely say the head of delegation we don’t have money to buy her ticket at this moment,” Kouh said.
Woodson Reacts: “It Was an Insult”
But Woodson, visibly displeased, told FrontPage Africa that she was humiliated by the ordeal. She said she had already received a boarding pass for a flight that included a seven-hour transit in Togo, and was scheduled to travel alongside the same player Kouh referenced.
“When he realized the player would also need funding for that route, he asked me to go alone,” Woodson claimed. “As Head of Delegation, I felt it was a complete insult, so I left the airport and filed a complaint with the LFA.”
Woodson also alleged that Kouh’s camp issued her three fake tickets, stating that she narrowly avoided what she called “a potential embarrassment” on an international platform.
Backstory: Tension Beneath the Surface
The controversy is just the latest twist in an already strained relationship between Kouh and Woodson. Sources within the local football scene say the two have had longstanding disagreements, which were further amplified when the LFA named Woodson as HOD a decision Determine Girls FC challenged.
In a social media statement, club president Grace Hawa Weah, known as “Master Queen”, confirmed that the club had objected to the appointment on grounds of team unity.
“It’s no secret within our football circle that things haven’t been the most comfortable between Sis Rochell and CEO Kouh,” she wrote.
“With all due respect, having her in that position at this time would not be ideal for the team.”
Weah maintained that the decision was not personal, but one made in consultation with CEO Kouh and other executives. She reiterated that Woodson was still welcome to attend matches but not in any official capacity.
“Please understand you are absolutely welcome to travel with us and attend the games as a valued stakeholder. But we kindly ask that you not serve as HOD on this trip,” Weah stated.
LFA Yet to Respond
With Determine Girls now in Senegal and preparing to compete, the matter remains unresolved back home. The Liberia Football Association has not yet issued a formal statement on Woodson’s complaint.
As the club continues its campaign in WAFU, observers say the ongoing leadership dispute threatens to overshadow the team’s sporting focus raising questions about governance, respect for protocol, and unity within one of Liberia’s most successful women’s football clubs.
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