LFA second Vice President has called on 22 participants, who attended a five-day FIFA Strategic Referee Course for Instructors and Assessors to stay away from football politics and leave politics with the politicians [LFA EC members].

Mr. Adolphus Dolo was speaking at the LFA HQ on Wednesday, 24 July at the former closure of a referee instructors/assessors workshop facilitated by CAF Referee Manager Numandeiz Disire Doue.

‘’We want to plead with you to exhibit the highest assessment of the game and avoid politics because the game is evolving.

‘’Referees, try as much as possible to stay away from our politics. We are the politicians, all of us Executive Members and you guys are the technicians.

‘’We asking you our technicians to please come and help to improve football than instead of preaching politics because football is a fraternity.

‘’All of you have interest but when you reflect on the last seven to eight years who’ve increased the number of pitches by constructing Tusa, Doris Williams, and SKD PP in addition to already existent Nancy Doe Stadium, ATS, and Technical Center,’’ Dolo stated.

Mr. Desire Doue hailed the LFA for the vision after becoming the first African country to apply and organize the strategic training with support from FIFA Forward funds.

The head of CAF referees admitted that Liberia has good referees and instructors with good qualities, referencing Hannah Moses (LFA Assistant FIFA Referee), whom he taught at an elite CAF referee course in The Gambia.

‘’I want to thank the LFA for the ambition and vision to organize this course through President Mustapha Raji.

‘’I want to also appreciate LFA Referee Manager [Stanley Konah] for the orderly organization of the course and I can assure that you guys are very good considering the quality of the discussion, the exchanges, and interactions, I can assure you that you only need more support,’’ Doue said.

The Ivorian urged the LFA Assessors and Instructors to strive for excellence by honouring the three (3) pillars that CAF Referee Committee was built on.

‘’Fight! Fight! Look for excellence. I’ll finish by sharing with you the three pillars that have held us together. Integrity because it’s mandatory and it’s zero tolerance, next is professionalism, and thirdly look for result and only result and not bla bla bla and politics,’’ Doue concluded.

LFA Referee Committee Chairman Judge Joseph Kollie was impressed with the Ivorian following his five-day working sessions with the assessors and instructors.

‘’Words are not sufficient to describe your worth. Following a visit of your [Mr. Doue] teaching, I concluded that you’re an incredible leader and teacher,’’ Judge Kollie said.

The strategic referee course was the third training for referees, assessors and/or instructors in the discipline following the training of more than 60 Elite and Intermediate referees, who completed variant physical and theoretical trainings in June