LFA Elections: Raji to Run Unopposed

Liberia Football Association (LFA) President Mustapha Raji is set to run unopposed in the upcoming LFA elections, sources tell Daily Observer.

While the Elections Committee of the FA is still vetting nominees for various positions following the close of the nomination period on March 22, our sources say President Raji was the lone nominee for the presidential position.

 Halfway through his first tenure, Mr. Raji declared his intention to recontest for the highest seat at the football house.

“We may not achieve all of our goals in this term, but with what we have so far done, we will be seeking the mandate from our people so we can roll out the next phase of developments. We are doing our best to rebrand Liberian football so we can get on par with other countries that are doing well. We have to go and sustain our international presence. We need to improve our FIFA ranking, we will have to improve our participation in competitions at the international levels,” Raji told Daily Observer in an exclusive interview in December 2021.

It was earlier reported that World Girls FC president and former Executive Committee Member, Rochell Woodson, would have contested against Mr. Raji, but the Daily Observer can confirm that Woodson has reconsidered her decision, as she has applied to contest for the Vice President for administration position. 

Raji, whose mandate as president should have ended on September 8, 2022, in accordance with the LFA statutes, in June of 2021 chose to waive his statutory rights by reducing his tenure by five months.

Raji wrote to Exco, seeking their “indulgence and acceptance to shorten my mandate as president of the LFA and convene the Elective General Assembly on April 18, 2022. 

“The submission of our proposal is in no way intended to extend the duration of the Executive Committee’s mandate nor extend my mandate beyond the statutory period. We must however note that there is a need to align the LFA elections date as proposed by FIFA in a communication dated March 4, 2021.

“I have decided to waive my rights covered in Article 39.1 and Article 45.2 of the LFA approved Statutes in the interest of football development and await the endorsement of congress if deemed necessary,” Raji said in his communication.