Published: July 8, 2026
MONROVIA – Former Liberia Football Association (LFA) Executive Committee member Rochell Woodson has criticized the association’s decision to expel FC Fassell President Cassell Anthony Kuoh and ban him from all football-related activities, arguing that he did not violate FIFA or LFA statutes by seeking relief through Liberia’s courts.
“FIFA recognizes the constitution of its member countries. The objective of the provisions prohibiting ordinary courts in football applies to the laws of the game and referee decisions,” Woodson wrote.
She argued that football clubs are legally registered corporations and are therefore subject to national laws.
“Cassell did not contravene any FIFA or LFA laws because he did not sue the LFA or any referees over bad officiating. He sought declaratory judgments for the court to restore his constitutional rights. Therefore, to expel him is utterly illegal, and we will appeal and win,” she said.
Woodson also cited her successful appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), saying the ruling relied on Liberia’s Constitution and labor laws to overturn her previous expulsion from the LFA.
Her comments represent a sharp reversal from her position during the LFA presidential election campaign. At the time, Woodson, a supporter of LFA President Mustapha Raji, criticized Kuoh for taking the electoral dispute to an ordinary court and called for disciplinary action against him. Her change in stance has sparked debate among football stakeholders.
Meanwhile, Kuoh’s campaign chairman during the LFA election and president of the Senior Professionals Association argued that the Grievance and Disciplinary Committee (GDC) lacked the authority to expel Kuoh.
“There is no ambiguity on this issue,” he said.
He cited Article 27(d) of the LFA Statutes, which states that the expulsion of a member “can only be adopted by the Congress by a three-fourths majority of the members present and entitled to vote.”
He also referenced Article 43(k), which lists the admission, suspension and expulsion of members among the exclusive powers of the LFA Congress.
“These provisions leave no room for interpretation. The authority to expel a member belongs exclusively to Congress, not the GDC,” he said.
Kuoh was recently expelled from the LFA and banned from all football-related activities after the Grievance and Disciplinary Committee found that he violated the association’s statutes by obtaining an injunction from an ordinary court to halt the LFA electoral process.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by J. Melton N. Yoko, president of Small Town Football Academy, who alleged that Kuoh breached the LFA Statutes by taking the electoral dispute before the judiciary.
Following an investigation, the committee, chaired by Acting Chairman Jenkins D.N. Pelenah Sr., ruled that Kuoh violated Articles 18 and 19 of the LFA Statutes, which require disputes involving the LFA, FIFA, CAF and WAFU to be resolved through the association’s arbitration mechanisms.
The committee also determined that Kuoh’s court action amounted to third-party interference in the governance and electoral affairs of the association, contrary to Articles 2, 18 and 19 of the LFA Statutes and Article 51 of the FIFA Statutes.
Citing Article 27 of the LFA’s 2018 amended statutes, the committee concluded that Kuoh committed a serious breach of the association’s rules by resorting to the ordinary courts. It subsequently expelled him from LFA membership and banned him from all football-related activities.
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