Cassell Kouh blasts Raji’s leadership, calls ‘football revolution’ a failure

Published: February 24, 2025

FC Fassell Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Cassell Anthony Kouh isn’t holding back his thoughts on the state of Liberian football, which many enthusiasts believe is at a crossroads.

In a scathing critique shared on the football chatroom “Talk Football” on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, Kouh argued that Mustapha Raji’s so-called “football revolution” has been the worst thing to ever happen to Liberian football.

Kouh claims that Raji’s leadership is nothing more than a facade of progress, propped up by FIFA’s financial support. Despite the infrastructure projects often cited as evidence of success, he points out that these were bankrolled by FIFA’s Forward Program, not by Raji’s ingenuity or leadership.

According to Kouh, Liberian football remains stagnant where it truly matters. Local leagues, youth programs, and football administration continue to lack financial independence and strategic vision, leaving the country dependent on external funding. He also downplayed the digitalization initiative, including the implementation of FIFA Connect, arguing that it was not a groundbreaking move by Raji.

“While it helped address illegal transfers, it failed to tackle deeper problems. Clubs are struggling, players barely have opportunities beyond Liberia, and national teams miss training camps due to ‘funding issues,'” Kouh said.

Financial transparency is another area where Kouh criticizes Raji. He alleges that, despite Raji’s public image of humility, he earns over $100,000 annually from CAF and FIFA stipends, in addition to various perks tied to his roles.

Kouh also contends that Liberian leagues are not competitive and that players rarely make it into top international clubs. As such, he argues that Raji’s leadership has been more about optics than real transformation.

A third term for Raji, Kouh believes, is not about “continuity” but rather about maintaining a failing system.

“If Raji truly changed football, Liberia wouldn’t still be at the bottom of African rankings,” he asserts.