Published: November 3, 2025
MONROVIA — Jubilee Football Club has been provisionally reinstated into the Liberia Football Association First Division for the 2025-26 season, following a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The decision, issued Oct. 31 by sole arbitrator Hervé Le Lay of Paris, overturned the LFA’s earlier move to relegate the club on grounds that the association failed to properly hear Jubilee’s appeals — a violation of due process.
Jubilee was relegated in April after the LFA’s Club Licensing Committee determined the team had not met licensing requirements. The club appealed, but the LFA Appeals Board upheld the decision without holding a formal hearing. Jubilee then took the matter to CAS under reference case CAS 2025/A/11482.
In a letter dated Nov. 1, the LFA informed Jubilee — also known as the Church Boys — that it has 10 days to complete player and staff registration as the league season is already underway.
“Any decision made by the LFA regulating your relegation is now suspended until the Club Licensing Appeal Board concludes its review,” the letter stated.
Jubilee’s reinstatement increases the number of First Division clubs to 15, a move that has drawn criticism from some stakeholders.
Emmett Stages Glsssco, president of the Senior Female Professional Division, said she intends to challenge the expansion at CAS if the LFA proceeds without approval from Congress, the association’s highest decision-making body.
“If Jubilee is included in the First Division, the club that replaced them should return to the Second Division,” Glsssco said. “If the LFA goes ahead and increases the league to 15 teams without Congress approval, I will file another case with CAS.”
She argued that altering the league structure without congressional endorsement violates LFA statutes.
The LFA has not announced whether the current league schedule or format will be adjusted to reflect the addition of the extra team.
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