{"id":89044,"date":"2026-04-06T13:05:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/appeals-committee-reduces-benita-ureys-ban-to-three-years"},"modified":"2026-04-06T13:05:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:05:33","slug":"appeals-committee-reduces-benita-ureys-ban-to-three-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/appeals-committee-reduces-benita-ureys-ban-to-three-years","title":{"rendered":"Appeals Committee Reduces Benita Urey’s Ban to Three Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. <\/strong><\/span>The Appeals Committee of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) has delivered a stinging verdict in the case of Shaita Angels FC President Benita W. Urey.<\/p>\n

While the committee reduced her initial five-year ban to three years, it concurrently upheld the damning findings of match manipulation that have rocked the 2024\/2025 football season.<\/p>\n

In its April 2, 2026 ruling, the committee determined that while the evidence of misconduct was sufficient, the original five-year sanction was \u201cmanifestly disproportionate\u201d for a first-time offender.<\/p>\n

The \u201cSmoking Gun\u201d Findings Stand<\/b><\/p>\n

Despite the reduced sentence, the committee did not vindicate Ms. Urey. The ruling affirmed the LFA Grievance and Disciplinary Committee\u2019s conclusion that Urey was involved in facilitating or authorizing payments to players intended to influence match outcomes involving Paynesville FC.<\/p>\n

Throughout the proceedings, Urey\u2019s legal team maintained that the payments were \u201cbenevolent\u201d gestures rather than bribes.<\/p>\n

The Appeals Committee, however, rejected this defense, ruling that the intent behind the money was secondary to its effect the systemic undermining of fair competition and the integrity of the league.<\/p>\n

\u201cMatch manipulation strikes at the very heart of the game. Regardless of the donor\u2019s intent, financial interference in player performance creates an environment where results are decided in pockets, not on the pitch.\u201d Excerpt from the LFA Appeals Ruling<\/p>\n

A Heavy Price for \u201cFirst Offense\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

The three-year ban remains one of the most severe administrative penalties in recent Liberian football history. Under the terms of the revised sanction, Ms. Urey is Barred from all football-related activities (administrative and operational).<\/p>\n

She is also prohibited from entering any stadium or sports facility under LFA jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

The Road to Lausanne<\/b><\/p>\n

The LFA\u2019s internal judicial process is now exhausted. For Benita Urey, the only remaining legal avenue is an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland the supreme court of the sporting world.<\/p>\n

Should the case move to CAS, it will mark another high-profile instance of Liberian football governance being scrutinized on the global stage, following a string of recent administrative crises within the local football house.<\/p>\n

A Message to the Stakeholders<\/b><\/p>\n

The ruling arrives as the LFA faces a \u201ccredibility crunch\u201d with FIFA and CAF. By upholding the manipulation findings while tempering the punishment, the Appeals Committee has attempted to walk a fine line demonstrating that the LFA has the teeth to punish corruption, while ensuring its judicial processes meet international standards of proportionality.<\/p>\n

For observers, the case is a barometer of the LFA\u2019s internal controls. As the federation fights to avoid international isolation on other fronts, the Urey verdict serves as a stark reminder that the culture of \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d in Liberian football is under an unprecedented microscope.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Liberia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. The Appeals Committee of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) has delivered a stinging verdict in the case of Shaita Angels FC President Benita W. Urey. While the committee reduced her initial five-year ban to three years, it concurrently upheld the damning findings of match manipulation that have rocked the 2024\/2025 football season. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":89043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-89044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-liberia"],"yoast_head":"\nAppeals Committee Reduces Benita Urey's Ban to Three Years - Liberia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/appeals-committee-reduces-benita-ureys-ban-to-three-years\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Appeals Committee Reduces Benita Urey's Ban to Three Years\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Liberia. The Appeals Committee of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) has delivered a stinging verdict in the case of Shaita Angels FC President Benita W. Urey. While the committee reduced her initial five-year ban to three years, it concurrently upheld the damning findings of match manipulation that have rocked the 2024\/2025 football season. 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