FIFA Retains Liberia’s Nine International Referees
Liberia’s nine international referees have all been retained to officiate in international competitions in 2023.
The list of accepted internationals is published each year by the FIFA Referees Committee, one of seven standing committees tasked with enforcing and interpreting the Laws of the Game as well as selecting the referees and assistant referees for matches in international competitions.
Over 3,900 referees from across the globe were accepted to handle international football matches this year.
There were no new entries this year, in contrast to 2022, when there were five new entries, as all nine referees are retaining their badges.
Accepted referees for 2023:
Hassan Corneh has served as an international referee since 2017. After Jerry Yekeh retired in 2021 and had been an international referee since 2009, Corneh became the most experienced official in Liberia.
Sylvina Garnett: Prior to the arrival of two additional female referees in 2022, Garnett served as Liberia's sole female international referee for two years. She has had the badge since 2019 and has three times taken home the LFA Best Female Referee honor.
Moses Forkpah: An international referee since 2020, Forkpah is a regular referee in Liberia’s first division league and has taken charge of several high profile matches. He was assaulted by FC Bea Mountain forward Mark Paye in 2021, a situation that led to Paye being banned from all LFA activities for a year. He has officiated in regional competitions.
Stanley Konah, Jr.: One of the new additions to the FIFA list in 2022, Konah got his first taste of refereeing in a global match when he was chosen as one of two Liberian referees for the WAFU A U17 tournament in Mauritania.
Emmanuel Mansah: Known as the youngest international referee from Liberia, Mensah made his debut in July 2022 at the Stade Marrakech in Morocco as the fourth official in a 2023 CHAN qualifier between The Gambia and Guinea Bissau.
Assistant Referees
Joel W. Doe: Liberia's youngest international referee in 2020 is now the nation's most experienced assistant referee following Johnson Gbartea's retirement. Doe started his career as a referee in 2012 and attained international status in 2019. Since then, he has officiated games in the WAFU, Confederations Cup, CAF Champions League, and African Cup of Nations Qualifiers.
Ephraim Grant: In 2022, Grant's dream of working as an international referee was realized after a protracted wait. When he was chosen to officiate alongside Stanely Konneh, Jr., at the WAFU U17 tournament in Mauritania, he made his international debut. Grant was among the four referees from Liberia who took part in a four-day elite male referee training course in Saudi Arabia as a result of technical collaboration between the LFA and the Saudi Football Federation.
Tracy Chayee: One of Liberia's top female referees, is one of five new additions to the team of three female referees in 2022, joining Sylvina. She participated in a few high-profile games with Sylvina, including a FIFA World Cup U17 qualifier between Senegal and Ghana in February 2022.
Hannah Moses, one of the fastest growing referees, was also among the 12 referees promoted from “Class B” to “A” in February. She has become Liberia’s youngest international referee, overtaking Joe W. Doe. Since her promotion, she has officiated in several high profile matches in both the men’s and women’s divisions of the Liberian league.
