Africa-Press – Liberia. Liberia’s U-17 National Team has been drawn into a difficult Group A for the upcoming West African Football Union (WAFU Zone A) Qualifiers, which will be hosted by Mali.
The team will face Guinea Bissau, The Gambia and the host nation itself, a group many analysts are calling the “group of death.”
This tournament offers a new opportunity for Liberia’s young players to compete on the continental stage. However, it also brings up painful memories of the team’s appearance in Mauritania which ended in public embarrassment.
Haunted by Past Disqualification
In 2022, Liberia was disqualified from the U-17 Tournament in Mauritania after two players failed the mandatory MRI age test just hours before their opening match.
The disqualification caused public outrage and led to heavy criticism of the Liberia Football Association (LFA).
At the time, LFA President Mustapha Raji acknowledged that the federation had relied on parental consent and documents to verify the players’ ages.
They failed to perform the required MRI scans before leaving for the tournament because Liberia’s main medical facility, the Jahmale Medical Center, could only perform scans at 0.33 tesla, far below the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) standard of 1.5 tesla.
According to CAF Rules, even a single ineligible player can lead to an entire team’s disqualification, which is exactly what happened.
As a result, Liberia was expelled, and Sierra Leone and Mauritania automatically advanced.
The fallout was severe; the Ministry of Youth and Sports accused the LFA of negligence and public trust in the LFA’s handling of youth football plummeted.
A Chance at Redemption
Three years later, the public is watching closely to see if the LFA has learned its lesson.
Officials insist they have taken the necessary steps to avoid a repeat of the scandal.
For the young Lone Stars, the qualifiers in Bamako are a chance to restore the country’s reputation.
This is the team’s second time participating in the tournament since the 2022 disqualification.
Their last appearance was in Senegal in 2024 with Robert Lartey as coach.
The team has been preparing under the LFA’s Talent Development Scheme (TDS), which is supervised by FIFA Talent Coach Ammy Ninje.
As part of their preparations, the team traveled to Cairo, Egypt, on March 11 for a series of friendly matches against the Egyptian U-17 national team.
The trip was made possible through an arrangement between LFA President Mustapha Raji and the Egyptian Football Association (EFA).
The team had a promising start, securing a 1-1 draw against Tanzania’s U-17 team in their first friendly match but lost 6-2 to Egypt U17.
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