Africa-Press – Liberia. Defending Champions FC Fassell have raised serious concerns over the governance and integrity of the ongoing 2025–2026 Liberia Football Association (LFA) National League, alleging that the competition commenced without the formal issuance of club licenses, a move the club says violates the LFA’s own statutes.
In a strongly worded press statement issued on October 26, 2025, Fassell President Cassell Anthony Kuoh called on the LFA’s Executive Committee to “urgently regularize the licensing process” and publish the list of clubs that have been officially approved to participate in the season.
According to Fassell, the league’s kickoff without completed club licensing breaches Chapter 2, Article 1.0 of the LFA Rules and Regulations (Rev. 2.0, October 2025), which explicitly states that “no club shall participate in the national leagues without completing the licensing process and obtaining a certificate of completion serving as its license for the season.”
“This requirement is not a mere administrative formality; it is a mandatory safeguard that assures stakeholders, sponsors, and supporters that every participating club meets the minimum legal, financial, technical, and infrastructural standards set by the LFA, CAF, and FIFA,” the statement read.
League Integrity Questioned
Fassell said it has fully complied with the club licensing process and submitted all necessary documents via the Club Licensing Online Platform (CLOP). However, the club revealed that it has not received official confirmation of its licensing status and has written to the LFA seeking clarification on how the league could validly proceed in the absence of approved licenses.
The club noted that no clause within the LFA’s regulatory framework allows the Executive Committee to suspend or bypass licensing obligations, even in the event of administrative delays.
“Internal administrative delays or system challenges do not constitute force majeure and cannot lawfully displace an express pre-condition to competition,” Kuoh emphasized, warning that suggesting the licenses are “being processed” while matches continue does not correct what he described as a “procedural defect.”
Fassell argued that the LFA must be held to the same standards it enforces on clubs, stating that if a team had failed to meet licensing obligations, it would have faced immediate sanctions.
“The same standard of compliance must bind the governing body itself. Compliance cannot be selective; it is the foundation of fairness, transparency, and good governance,” the statement added.
A Call for Transparency
The defending champions’ statement calls on the LFA Executive Committee to immediately publish the list of licensed clubs and ensure that all future competitions adhere strictly to FIFA and CAF’s club licensing principles.
Kuoh further appealed to other clubs and football stakeholders to join Fassell in demanding transparency and equal enforcement of rules, warning that “collective silence in the face of double standards only weakens the integrity of Liberian football.”
As of press time, when contacted the club Licensing Manager at the LFA Joel Freeman said the First Instant Board of the football house will respond to the concern raised by Fassell
However, several stakeholders within Liberian football have privately acknowledged ongoing administrative delays within the licensing process, an issue that has persisted for years despite repeated calls for reform.
Fassell’s intervention now places the LFA under renewed scrutiny, as questions grow over whether Liberia’s top-tier competition is being managed in line with its own regulatory framework.
“We believe that by holding ourselves and our institutions to the same rules, we strengthen the game we all serve,” Kuoh concluded.
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