The Government of Liberia has informed the Liberia Football Association (LFA) that it will not be providing financial support for the country’s youth national football teams. Instead, the government has decided to only back the senior male and female national teams.
This decision, attributed to limited funding in the national budget for sports, has raised concerns among football officials and fans alike.
The move comes after Chief Patron of Sports, Joseph Boakai, failed to address key sports issues in his recent State of the Nation address.
For years, the LFA has voiced frustration with the government’s inconsistent support for youth football, often leaving the responsibility to the association, which has struggled to secure adequate funds for youth teams.
Speaking at a media briefing on January 5 at the LFA headquarters, LFA President Mustapha Raji revealed that the government had officially communicated that it would not support Liberia’s youth national teams in international competitions.
He shared that while the government had previously pledged its support to the male and female senior national teams, the women’s team was left to the LFA at the last minute, with the association stepping in to ensure they could compete.
“We recently reached out to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for approval for the national teams to participate in upcoming competitions. National teams are owned by the government, not the LFA, and it is our responsibility to inform them before obligating government support,” Raji explained.
The LFA President also noted that the female national team was excluded from recent Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers, due to delays in communication with the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Despite these challenges, the LFA had been proactive in managing the situation, ensuring that the women’s team could compete despite the government’s lack of support.
“We had communicated with the Ministry about engaging our youth teams, the U-17, U-20 boys and girls, and the senior teams, but the government informed us that they would only finance the male and female senior national teams,” Raji said.
Despite this setback, Raji assured that the LFA would continue to fund the U-17 and U-20 teams, using its operational funds to ensure that these teams could participate in international competitions until government support becomes available.
In response to the LFA’s concerns, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, G. Andy Quamie, acknowledged the budgetary constraints and the government’s decision. “Yes, the government allocated only $550,000 for sports in the 2025 budget, and we cannot support all activities,” Quamie said, adding that Liberia has 34 sporting federations, and the limited funds must be spread across all these organizations.
The Deputy Minister also pointed out that FIFA provides funding for some LFA activities, but other federations do not have the same level of external support. He stressed the importance of being cautious in making commitments for the national teams, given the financial limitations.
“We do not want to commit to supporting all of the national teams, including the U-15, U-17, U-20, and U-23 teams, and later face a situation where there is no funding to follow through,” Quamie explained.
Over the past eight years, the LFA has invested heavily in restructuring youth teams and participating in international competitions. Although results have been mixed, several young players from the U-17 team have been scouted and gone on to play professionally, including in Europe.
As the national men’s team, the Lone Star, prepares for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Tunisia and São Tomé and Príncipe in March 2025, the absence of government support for youth football raises serious questions about the long-term development of the sport in Liberia.
