Published: February 6, 2026
MONROVIA — Liberia’s Supreme Court of Liberia is expected to hear arguments next week in a case that could determine not only who may contest leadership of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) but also how far private sports bodies can go in restricting rights restored under the national Constitution.
The case arises from a petition filed by Cassell A. Kuoh, an LFA presidential aspirant, challenging a provision of the association’s statutes that bars individuals convicted of criminal offenses from contesting for top leadership positions.
Kuoh is seeking a constitutional review of the rule ahead of the LFA’s scheduled elections on April 18, 2026.
At the center of the dispute is Article 58.1 of the LFA statutes, adopted in 2018 and amended in 2021, which disqualifies any person “found guilty of a criminal offense” from running for president, vice president or executive committee member.
The clause forms part of an integrity framework introduced to strengthen governance and credibility within Liberian football administration.
Critics of Kuoh’s candidacy argue the rule applies automatically based on his past conviction and bars him from contesting under existing LFA regulations.
Through his lawyer, Jimmy Bombo, Kuoh filed an in re petition on Jan. 27, 2026, asking the Supreme Court to determine whether Article 58.1 conflicts with provisions of the 1986 Liberian Constitution.
The petition cites Article 21(k), which provides that a person convicted of a crime regains civil rights upon completion of sentence, payment of penalties or receipt of a presidential pardon.
Kuoh’s legal team argues that the LFA rule effectively imposes an additional and indefinite sanction beyond what national law permits.
They also rely on Article 2 of the Constitution, which declares the Constitution the supreme law of Liberia and renders void any rules or regulations inconsistent with it.
The filing further references Article 66, which grants the Supreme Court final authority over constitutional interpretation, urging the justices to clarify whether a private sports association may limit rights that the Constitution has restored.
The Supreme Court has notified the parties that it will take up the matter on Feb. 12.
If the court rules in Kuoh’s favor, he would be cleared to remain in the LFA presidential race. If it upholds the statute, Kuoh would be barred from contesting, potentially altering the field of candidates and affecting the re-election prospects of incumbent LFA President Mustapha Raji.
Legal observers say the ruling could also have wider implications for other private associations whose internal rules intersect with constitutional rights.
In a separate legal analysis, sports journalist and lawyer Abraham Godsent Wheon said that under current practice, disputes over LFA elections are ordinarily resolved within the framework of the association’s statutes unless amended by its Congress.
“The LFA statutes are the highest internal legal instrument governing football administration in Liberia,” Wheon said, noting that they are enacted by the LFA Congress in conformity with FIFA statutes and international best practices.
Wheon argued that restoration of civil rights alone does not automatically invalidate the integrity clause.
“A constitutional violation arises only if the provision operates as punishment, extinguishes a core constitutional right, or is applied arbitrarily or in bad faith,” he said.
Absent those conditions, he said, the clause may be upheld as a lawful regulatory standard within a voluntary association.
As the hearing date approaches, attention is growing within Liberia’s football community and legal circles over how the Supreme Court will balance constitutional supremacy against the autonomy of private institutions.
The ruling, observers say, is likely to clarify whether internal governance rules can lawfully restrict participation in leadership once constitutional rights have been restored—an issue that extends well beyond the pitch.
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