Published: May 7, 2025
CAIRO — Young and enterprising Liberian referee Emmanuel Mensah officiated his debut match on Sunday at the ongoing TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2025, held at the 30 June Air Defence Stadium in Cairo.
It was the second Group B encounter between Tunisia and Kenya, in which the North Africans came from behind to secure a much-needed 3-1 victory.
Mensah, one of the youngest FIFA-badged referees, came into the spotlight during the game when he awarded an uncontested penalty to Tunisia after carefully reviewing the decision on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) screen.
Before Sunday’s match, Mensah served as the fourth official in the Group A fixture between DR Congo and Ghana, which ended 1-1 on Friday, May 2.
Mensah, who has been outstanding both locally and internationally, is the only Liberian referee participating in the tournament. With his impressive performance so far, he is expected to officiate additional fixtures as the competition progresses—further putting Liberia on the football map.
He first earned his FIFA badge in 2022 and has maintained it since, meeting the annual requirements, including passing FIFA’s rigorous fitness test.
Among his recent accomplishments, Mensah officiated his first World Cup qualifier in June 2024—a 2026 tournament fixture between Somalia and Botswana played in Maputo, Mozambique.
He also drew praise from pundits and football enthusiasts alike after confidently handling the final of the 2024–2025 National County Sports Meet, which featured Lofa and Grand Gedeh counties in February.
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