Monrovia – Outspoken football stakeholder Emmett Glassco has publicly challenged the leadership of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) to fully account for a lucrative financial partnership received from the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA).
By Christopher C. Walker christopherc.walker@frontpageafricaonline.com
In an open letter addressed to LFA President Mustapha I. Raji and members of the Executive Committee, Glassco, who serves as the President of Senior Female Professionals Football Club, accused the local football governing body of failing to provide stakeholders with a transparent breakdown of funds earmarked for grassroots football development.
He further questioned why local clubs, particularly those operating at the foundational level of the domestic game, have yet to benefit from the state-backed financial injection.
Glassco argued that local clubs continue to bear crushing operational costs out of pocket, despite high-profile corporate and government windfalls flowing directly into the LFA’s coffers.
“The continued failure to transparently account for and distribute the financial support provided by the Liberia Maritime Authority to the Liberia Football Association is deeply concerning to clubs across the country,” Glassco wrote in his petition.
“When financial assistance intended to support football development does not reach the clubs, it raises serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the commitment of the leadership to the growth of the game,” Glassco stated, demanding that the LFA immediately release a comprehensive ledger detailing the allocations.
The vast majority of clubs across the first, second, and female divisions rely solely on the personal finances of individual club owners, skeletal administrative budgets, and sporadic remittances from diaspora supporters to cover essential needs like team transportation, player medical welfare, training equipment, and match-day logistics.
Stakeholders argue that if substantial state resources were pumped into the LFA by LiMA, clubs should not be left to speculate in the dark.
Glassco wants the LFA to distribute resources to clubs because that what it was intended for.
“Clubs deserve to know why they have not benefited from resources that were expected to strengthen football development,” he wrote, aiming at what critics describe as a culture of structural “gatekeeping” and limited financial disclosure within the local football capital.
“The clubs and the football community deserve clear answers, not silence. We urge the LFA leadership to act responsibly and ensure that all stakeholders are treated with the respect and transparency they deserve.”
When contacted by FrontPage Africa for an official reaction to the brewing allegations, LFA Secretary General Emmett Crayton declined to address the specific financial concerns raised in the letter.
“I’m out of the country,” Crayton told this publication via a brief WhatsApp message exchange.
Crayton’s deflection leaves the central questions raised by the club president unanswered, a move likely to fuel further resistance from stakeholders demanding a sweeping, independent audit of all external corporate funding.
At the time of publication, neither LFA President Mustapha Raji nor any member of the Executive Committee had issued a formal statement regarding the maritime funds. Until full disclosure is made, the standoff is expected to deepen scrutiny of the LFA’s financial governance and escalate calls for systemic reform within Liberia’s sports apparatus.
The $250,000 Paper Trail
It can be recalled that on February 10, 2026, the LFA and the Liberia Maritime Authority signed a landmark $250,000 partnership agreement.
In what was hailed as a significant advancement for local football development, both entities formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to allocate $250,000 from LiMA’s Corporate Social Responsibility budget to support the operational activities of the national team, the Lone Star, and grassroots football programs.
The MOU, effective for one year and renewable thereafter, was signed at the LiMA headquarters in Congo Town. During the signing ceremony, LiMA Commissioner Cllr. Neto Zarzar Lighe Sr., emphasized that the partnership represented a strategic investment in Liberia’s youth.
“This investment of $250,000 into our national football is a direct commitment to unlocking the potential of our young people,” Cllr. Lighe stated during the signing. “Through our partnership with the LFA, we are not only fostering football development but also creating a vital platform for empowerment, discipline, and national pride.”
At that February ceremony, LFA President Mustapha Raji expressed immense gratitude to LiMA for the historic partnership, explicitly reassuring the public that the funds would be directed toward enhancing football development programs at the LFA for both young boys and girls.
“This is a groundbreaking contribution from a government organization,” Raji remarked at the time. “We assure the public and our partners that this $250,000 will be utilized transparently and accountably, ensuring that our footballing talent continues to reach its highest potential.”
Four months into that agreement, local club owners are now demanding that the LFA executive committee live up to that promise of transparency.
