The Liberia Football Association’s Appeal to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup took a hit within the last couple of weeks. FIFA has denied its appeal following a match against Tunisia that determined a 1-0 loss on March 19, 2025, at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.

Liberia Appeals To FIFA For Rematch Due To Erroneous Referee Calls

The Liberia Football Association appealed to FIFA for a rematch in the hopes of having the decision overturned with a realized goal supporting its efforts after the match. The Liberia Football Association, along with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, supported the appeal relative to Ivorian referee Clement Franklin Kpan, whose calls during the match were deemed erroneous and, according to LFA, would have changed the outcome of the game.

Of the three-suspected penalties that LFA highlighted, the largest was the possible handball by a Tunisian defender in the penalty box—this call could have been made and dramatically altered the result.

FIFA Will Not Hold A Rematch

After a few weeks of FIFA’s Refereeing Committee and Disciplinary Committee assessing the situation, they decided that although the integrity of the match was somewhat questioned, not all of the actions amounted to the importance of a rematch. In FIFA’s response to the Liberia Football Association, they provided reasoning:

“The match will stand. The officiating decisions, while not correct, are not enough to change the outcome of the match or give way to a rematch.”

LFA Reference to South Africa vs. Senegal Replay Successful

The LFA’s appeal came through referencing history. In 2018, FIFA mandated a rematch between South Africa and Senegal after it was found that the match was fixed. The referee in question, Ghana’s Joseph Lamptey, received a lifetime ban.

Liberia Football Association Response

There has been no further information since the Liberian Football Federation and the Minister of Youth and Sports failed to appeal, so everything has been quiet. Sports officials have not commented since the announcement, and LFA officials have not responded to journalists.

But what’s even more worrying is that things have been quiet since then. Before this decision, the association was very active, putting out a press release and giving interviews after the loss to criticize the referees and ask for sanctions.

Nationwide Fan Response

Liberian fans voiced their opinions. Across social media and even on local radio talk shows, many lament the alleged on-field shortcomings and insufficient on-field advocacy.

“FIFA has failed us. That referee was definitely biased,” claimed one fan hailing from Monrovia. “We should have been given a fair chance, and we did not.”

Yet others are telling the national team to let it go and keep playing for the rest of the matches in their qualifying campaign.

What This Means for Liberia’s World Cup Chances

Liberia sits fourth in the standings for the CAF World Cup qualifiers in Group F. The Lone Star will need a victory over Equatorial Guinea and Malawi because points lost against Tunisia have not set them up nicely for success.

While the FIFA news is disheartening, perhaps this will give the team the motivation to go out there and play as opposed to looking for a political appeal for something they will not get.

Liberia Football Association History

Founded in 1936, the Liberia Football Association (LFA) is the governing body of football within Liberia. The LFA oversees everything from national teams to local leagues to the professional development of amateur leagues. The LFA has gained much support recently through transparency and accountability improvements for infrastructure, but there are still challenges to overcome.

This new development suggests a mixture of international achievements and still some difficulties the federation faces with international operations.

What’s Next for the LFA?

For the time being, many analysts predict the LFA will regroup and assess Liberia’s chances going forward to the World Cup. Analysts predict a stronger commitment to coaching, training, and improved game strategy in meaningful match games down the line.

Furthermore, fans and retired soccer players urge the LFA to continue strengthening its legal and diplomatic stability when engaging with international governing bodies like FIFA.