Monrovia – Shaita Angels FC has filed a comprehensive appeal before the Appeals Committee of the Liberia Football Association (LFA), seeking to overturn a decision by the Grievance and Disciplinary Committee (GDC) that sanctioned the club for allegedly fielding ineligible foreign players during the 2025/2026 Upper Women’s Division League season.
By Christopher C. Walker christopherc.walker@frontpageafricaonline.com
The Careysburg-based club is challenging the GDC’s June 2, 2026 ruling, which stemmed from a complaint filed by Ravia Angels FC.
The complaint accused Shaita Angels of using three foreign players Mary Nunoo, Comfort Osei Frimpong, and Kaddy Jarju without properly uploading their work and residence permits into the LFA Connect registration system.
The GDC ruled in favor of Ravia Angels FC, awarding the complainants six points and four goals, while ordering Shaita Angels to forfeit all other matches in which the players featured.
However, in a detailed appeal spanning more than 170 paragraphs, Shaita Angels argues that the decision was unlawful, procedurally flawed, and inconsistent with an earlier ruling of the LFA Appeals Committee involving the same players.
Club Challenges Jurisdiction
At the center of Shaita Angels’ appeal is the argument that the complaint filed by Ravia Angels was submitted several months after the matches in question and should have been dismissed as time-barred.
According to the club, the disputed matches were played on December 13, 2025, and January 24, 2026, while the complaint was not filed until May 26, 2026.
Shaita Angels contends that Article 13.2-1(a) of the LFA Rules and Regulations requires complaints relating to league matches to be filed within 10 days of the match.
The club argues that the GDC failed to address the issue of timeliness before proceeding with the case.
“The complaint was filed far outside the mandatory period prescribed by the rules,” the club argued, adding that allowing such complaints months after matches have been played undermines certainty and finality in football competitions.
Reliance on Previous Appeals Committee Decision
A key pillar of the appeal is Shaita Angels’ reliance on a previous Appeals Committee ruling involving World Girls FC and the same three players.
In that case, the Appeals Committee overturned sanctions previously imposed on Shaita Angels.
It ruled that players approved through the LFA Connect System and issued playing cards by the LFA were eligible to participate in official competitions, unless there was evidence of fraud, manipulation, or deliberate circumvention of the registration system.
Shaita Angels argues that the GDC lacked the authority to reach a conclusion that directly contradicted that superior appellate decision.
“The GDC effectively sat in review of a superior appellate ruling,” the club stated, maintaining that a first-instance judicial body cannot revisit matters already decided by the Appeals Committee.
The club further invoked legal principles including res judicata, issue estoppel, functus officio, and abuse of process, arguing that the matter had already been conclusively determined.
Appeals Committee Affirms Earlier Ruling
The appeal comes just days after the LFA Appeals Committee rejected an application by World Girls FC seeking to rescind its May 26 ruling.
In a June 16 decision signed by Appeals Committee Chairman Cllr. Supu H.W. Cole Sr., Co-Chairman Atty. Rawlins P. Jardia, and member Sensee Kiadii, the committee acknowledged that its earlier ruling may have contained “some missteps” due to incomplete records provided by the LFA Secretariat.
The committee stated that, upon further review, it found aspects of its previous reasoning “inconclusive,” particularly concerning the responsibility of clubs to ensure foreign players possess valid work and residence permits.
The Appeals Committee noted that clubs cannot rely solely on the automated functions of the Connect System to cure non-compliance with mandatory eligibility requirements.
Nevertheless, the committee held that it lacked the authority to overturn its own final decision, emphasizing that any further challenge must be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
“Any party seeking reversal of this committee’s decision should forward their disagreements to CAS,” the ruling stated.
As a result, the Appeals Committee affirmed its May 26 decision despite expressing reservations about portions of its earlier reasoning.
Request for Stay of Execution
Shaita Angels has also requested an immediate stay of execution regarding the GDC’s sanctions pending the outcome of the appeal.
The club argues that enforcement of the ruling would cause irreparable harm to the team, the affected players, and the overall integrity of the league competition.
Among the remedies sought, Shaita Angels is asking the Appeals Committee to restore the original results of the disputed matches.
Also, the club wants the committee to vacate the six-point deduction and forfeiture orders.
The appeal from Shaita Angels wants the committee to declare the complaint inadmissible and reaffirm the binding nature of its earlier ruling on player eligibility.
The latest legal battle adds another chapter to an increasingly complex dispute over player registration, eligibility requirements, and the authority of judicial bodies within the LFA football justice system.
The Appeals Committee is now expected to determine whether the GDC exceeded its authority and whether the sanctions imposed on Shaita Angels FC can stand.
