LFA Makes New Adjustments


Tuesday, 12th September 2006

No Relegation This Season; 3 Teams to be Promoted to Premier Division
… I.E. Sneaks Through Finally

After several rumors the Liberia Football Association (LFA) has officially announced new adjustments in its national competitions for the forthcoming 2007 league season

According to a communication from the LFA Secretariat directed to all presidents of premier, 1st and 2nd Division teams including women football, affiliates, sub-associations, sub-committees, and referee corps., the executive committee in its September 6, 2006 regular monthly meeting reached numerous decisions for the advancement of football in the country.

The communication from the football house said the number of teams in the premier division have been increased from 9 to 12 so as to afford the clubs play more matches in order to be physically and technically prepared to meet international standards. The decision is also intended to decentralize the national leagues to other venues around the country.

The communication to the club presidents further indicated that the committee resolved in the September 6 meeting that in order to enhance competition and the standard of the clubs within the premier and 1st division to a total of 12 teams each, three teams shall be promoted from the 1st division to the premier division, while six teams shall be promoted from the 2nd division to the 1st division at the end of the national league season.

The communication continued that the Executive Committee of the local football house resolved that in a bid to standardize the various divisions of the league for the 2007 season, there shall be absolutely no relegation of teams at the end of the 2006 national league; and that to maintain the standard within the 2nd division, three teams shall be promoted from the 3rd division playoff to the 2nd division at the end of the season.

The communication said it was also concluded that at the end of the 2006 national women championship league, the first six teams on the league table shall be promoted to the 1st division level; while the remaining five teams shall maintain their status as 2nd division teams. As such more teams could register for the 2nd division slot; especially women teams from the various counties.

At the end of the 2006 national league season the LFA shall award cash prices to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each of the various divisions.

The adjustment by the executive committee will see Invincible Eleven (IE) sneaking their way back to the premier division as they could only manage to finish 3rd with 19 points on the first division table. They are being lead by Gedi & Son and Mighty Blue Angles who will also be making their way to the premier division with 24 and 23 points respectively.

Soccer analysts have described the decision of the executive committee of the local football house to increase the number of teams advancing to the premier division from 2 to 3 as a conspiracy only to see undeserving IE return to the premier division. They said it would be bad to change rules just to seek the interest of a single team.

However the adjustment will also favor bottom place Mark Professionals and Roots FC on the premier division table as no team will now be regulated.